


Doggone It

by GremlinSR



Category: Naruto
Genre: Confused Nara Shikamaru, Corgis, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance, Sealing Gone Wrong, Some Plot, some drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-02 05:39:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14537850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GremlinSR/pseuds/GremlinSR
Summary: Shikamaru gets too close to Naruto while he's performing an experimental jutsu and ends up being turned into a corgi. He decides that the best strategy is to nap and enjoy the pampered dog life until he can get the transformation reversed. A dog’s eye view of the village reveals some disturbing truths, however, that he can’t ignore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scythe195](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scythe195/gifts).



Shikamaru shuffled his feet as he approached the training grounds. A cranky and altogether unhelpful Sasuke had finally revealed that he could find Naruto there after Shikamaru had pounded on their front door for ten minutes.

Yes, he knew it was early, but it's not like Shikamaru wanted to be awake at this time, either. He'd dragged his tired ass out of bed to attend an early morning meeting with Naruto and Tsunade and _Naruto had never shown up._

So who was given the thankless task of finding and dragging Naruto to the tower for the meeting? That's right. Shikamaru, the one person who had both shown up to the meeting and done it sober.

He grumbled to himself and paused long enough to kick petulantly at a rock. Shikamaru was tired - and not his usual brand of tired, either, where he'd nap just for the joy of it when given a chance. He was bone-achingly, soul-crushingly tired. He'd been run ragged for months.

He was the Nara clan head and an adviser to the Hokage on top of still being assigned missions from time to time that required his intelligence and leadership skills. When he did get a chance to sleep, he had a hard time drifting off due to the worries and unfinished tasks that always came to the forefront of his mind as soon as he had a moment to himself.

Shikamaru needed a vacation, but when he'd asked Tsunade for two days off last week, she'd laughed at him, the witch. He slumped over further and turned to take a shortcut through some trees that he knew would pop him out into an open field.

He assumed that's where Naruto would be, probably throwing around S-ranked jutsu like they were simple shunshin. He was so caught up in his miserable thoughts that he almost missed the angry muttering coming from somewhere to his right. He paused and tilted his head to the side.

"I'll show the old lady that I can do subtle," Naruto's voice was saying, most likely to himself.

Shikamaru gave one long, slow blink as he realized what Naruto was referencing. The day before Tsunade had refused to allow him to go on an upcoming reconnaissance mission with Sasuke, citing his "lack of subtlety" as the reason. Naruto had been unhappy, but she'd remained unmoved.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Some things never changed and Naruto's inability to handle the word 'no' or to be told he wasn't the ultimate best at something were two of those things. Shikamaru couldn't believe he'd been forced to walk halfway across the village at seven in the morning for this bullshit. He just wanted to sleep.

He crept forward and crouched down, making the snap decision to do something horrible to the other man to get back at him. He'd figure out what after he scoped out the situation. He inched around the thick bushes blocking his view until he came to a spot where they thinned out enough to see clearly through, right on the edge of a steep hill that led down to a muddy area with a tiny stream running through it.

Naruto was bent over a scroll, a long calligraphy brush in his hand, slowly running it over the parchment with smooth, patient movements that were directly at odds with his fierce expression and ranting.

"I'll show her. Transmorphi - tranformig - ugh, whatever. When I accomplish it, she'll have to see how awesome I am and start sending me on all Sasuke's missions!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Was Naruto attempting a transmutation seal? Those hadn't been seen since the fall of Uzushiogakure, as far as Shikamaru knew. Of course, Naruto would revitalize one of the most complicated forms of sealing so that he could go on a mission with his boyfriend.

Well, he wouldn't be doing it today. Shikamaru's lips turned up into a smile and he quietly brought his hands together to form the Rat sign just as Naruto set his brush aside.

He was staring down at his work, nodding and making satisfied noises. Shikamaru's shadows began creeping across the grass, heading for Naruto's back.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled and Shikamaru jerked at the sudden noise.

Then he lifted a hand and slammed it down on the parchment and Shikamaru dropped his jutsu as he felt a surge of chakra move through the clearing. There was a bright light; then energy exploded outwards from the seal.

Shikamaru didn't even have time to cry out before it hit him, sending him soaring backward. He landed with a painful _thump_ on the side of the incline. His momentum kept him going and, too disoriented to latch onto the ground with his chakra, he tumbled down the hill, through the muddy embankment, across the tiny trickle of water, and finally stopped when he slammed into a tree.

He collapsed at the base in a heap, dazed and out of breath. He heard Naruto swearing distantly but chose to ignore it in favor of lamenting his lot in life. He could feel the wet, heavy mud now covering his body and closed his eyes as the world started to spin around him.

Great, a concussion is just what he needed. He was going to kill Naruto. Speaking of Naruto, he heard him exclaim somewhere in the background.

"Oh, shit, the old lady's going to kill me. I'm almost two hours late! And this damn seal still isn't working."

Shikamaru listened to his rapidly fading footsteps as he took off, ostensibly towards the tower. His stomach clamped in sudden nausea and his whole body began to shake.

_What the-?_

His thoughts were cut off by searing pain and a bright light exploded behind his eyelids. He curled into a ball and groaned as the shaking grew more pronounced.

His last thought before losing consciousness was, _I can't believe I've been killed by Naruto._

000

He wasn't dead. That was nice. The pain was also gone. Okay. Shikamaru could work with that.

He blinked open his eyes, already knowing from the dampness soaking into his clothes and the birdsong around him that he was still outside. The muggy heat of the air told him it had been at least a few hours since he was last awake.

He opened his mouth to groan, but all that came out was a strange growling sound. Light was filtering through fabric that was wound tightly around him. Weird - why was he covered in a blanket?

After some wiggling around and judicious huffing, he backed out of the stifling material. He blinked rapidly as the sun hit his eyes, causing pain to lance through his still-aching head. When his vision cleared, however, he was met with an unhappy surprise.

All of the color was leeched from the world. Everything was in hues of black and greys and white. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. Still no color.

What the hell had Naruto done to him? On top of the issue of seeing in black and white, everything seemed to be larger than he remembered. The trees were towering over him in a way that usually only the most impressive of the old growth accomplished and the bushes next to him were three times his size.

Some people might have needed more clues than the change in vision, the apparent growth of the world around them, and the pile of clothing (that's what he had been tangled in upon waking) that now littered the ground.

Not Shikamaru. All of the facts slammed together in his mind and he swore, which came out more like a...well, a bark. Taking a deep breath in through his nose, then stopping to shake his head back and forth at the sudden, overwhelming input of scents, he looked down. At his paw.

Naruto's seal hadn't been a bust. He just needed to work on his aim. Shikamaru flopped over on his side in despair, uncaring of the mud under him. His fur - _his goddamn fur_ \- was already covered in the stuff.

After a few minutes of feeling spectacularly sorry for himself, he craned his neck around to look at his new, hopefully temporary body. He was unimpressed with the sight that greeted him.

His torso was squat and round - shaped like a short, fat sausage. His belly was white, the rest of him a darker color that just registered to him as a light grey.

His legs were...stumpy was the only word that came to mind. Much too stubby for the size of his thick chest and stomach.

Seriously, how was he expected to even walk around on these things? He flopped back over, the effort required to crane his head giving him the distinct impression that he didn't have much of a neck, either. Just what the hell kind of dog was he?

After a long few minutes of drowning in self-pity, he hefted his squat body to its feet. Paws. Whatever.

His head was, at the most, twenty inches from the ground. He took a few steps, expecting that he'd find it difficult to walk on four legs, but his body seemed to have the right instincts intact, at least, and he didn't falter.

Actually, after a few passes around the muddy area, he decided four legs made for much more comfortable travel. Huh. Well, now that he knew he could walk, it was time to find Naruto and get him to turn him back into a human. His life was so weird.

With a sigh, he turned towards the embankment. Shikamaru discovered quickly that he didn't have access to his chakra in canine form. A severe annoyance when trying to climb a steep incline while being stuck in the shape of a hot dog with legs.

His stomach kept scraping against rocks and twigs that stuck too far out of the ground and he overbalanced twice thanks to being so damn top-heavy and rolled back down the hill. Finally, he hefted himself over the ledge and onto flat ground, panting for air.

He was never laughing at the tiny lap dogs that wealthy merchants tended to haul around with them again. Their lives must be a constant struggle.

It had taken him a long time to return to the spot where Naruto had been working on his scroll and the sun was now past its zenith in the sky. Tsunade was going to kill him - he'd missed all his morning meetings.

It was with that terrifying thought that he once again got to his feet and began making his four-legged way back to the village. His nose twitched as his dog brain sorted and cataloged the scents around him. It was strange - almost like he was mapping out the area by smell alone.

He trotted out of the trees and over to the trail that he knew would lead to the main road of Konoha. This was going to put him back on his work by a full day and that was only if Naruto could actually -

His thoughts were derailed when something darted out in front of him. It was a cat. A running, smells-like-prey, tempting, _beautiful_ cat.

Shikamaru was chasing it before his mind adequately caught up with the situation. His little legs were moving much faster than he would have guessed possible. Everything around him sharpened and a pure, unadulterated joy unlike anything he'd ever felt before hit him.

The cat, fur puffed up and making angry yowling noises, put more speed into its stride. Shikamaru started barking and he was vaguely impressed that it didn't come out as tiny little yaps.

He dashed after the cat, which smelled wonderfully of fear and rage, all thoughts other than _chase chase chase chase_ leaving his mind. Shikamaru loved chasing cats. It was the best thing ever.

They entered the village proper, and people gasped and dove out of the way to avoid becoming casualties in the age-old war of cats vs. dogs.

_That's right, silly humans. Don't get caught in the deadly game being played between predator and prey!_

Their game ended when the cat climbed up the side of a fire escape and a mournful Shikamaru was left howling and barking at him from the ground. It was the most crushing thing to ever happen to him in his life.

It wasn't until ten minutes after the smarmy feline disappeared over the edge of the roof that Shikamaru realized what had happened. He abruptly stopped barking and his jaw gaped open in horror. He was going to kill Naruto.

Not only did he look like a dog, but he was also thinking like one, too, at least when it came to his baser instincts. Dear god, he'd just chased a poor defenseless cat halfway across Konoha. His sides were heaving and his body was trembling from the effort, but during the thrill of pursuit, he hadn't even noticed.

He had to find Naruto before he did something crazy. He turned and slunk out of the alleyway, ignoring the annoyed look one of the residents shot him. Yeah, if a dog had just spent ten minutes barking hysterically outside his window he'd be pissed off, too.

Without any real thought behind it, he followed his nose through the residential streets towards the smells of what he assumed were the small civilian market on this side of the village.

He followed. His nose. Maybe death was too easy a fate for Naruto.

He made it to the market street and had to turn all his attention from revenge schemes to navigating the heavy foot traffic there. He didn't even come up to people's knees, which meant he was in danger of being stepped on and tripped over.

Shikamaru looked up and down the street for any familiar landmarks. He would never have guessed that having the color leeched from the world would be so disorienting. After a moment of contemplation, he chose a direction and trotted down the street. The sounds and smells were overwhelming, but his doggie mind seemed built to handle it, so, for the most part, he pushed past the confusion of the various competing signals.

Shikamaru weaved in and out of the feet around him, turning over the problem of how to let the appropriate people know that he was not, in fact, a dog. He supposed he could always write _I am Shikamaru_ in some dirt outside Naruto's apartment. Even somebody as oblivious as Naruto would get the point. Or he could...

His thoughts drifted as a fantastic smell hit his nose and his mouth filled with saliva. Shikamaru had to have whatever belonged to that delicious aroma, and he had to have it now.

His pace increased and he ignored the annoyed grumblings of people as they were forced to jump out of his way. It just smelled _so good_  and he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to anything else around him. He was starving and only the thing that belonged to that lovely scent would do to fill his belly.

He stopped in front of the merchant that was selling what he now recognized as sausages, gaze zoning in on a string of about five of them sitting on the butcher's block at the front of the stand.

"Yep, these come from the finest pigs in Fire Country," the man was saying to a doubtful-looking woman. "They're pricey but worth it."

Shikamaru just bet they were. He eyed the butcher, whose attention was still on the woman. She was pretty, with smooth skin and upturned eyes. Her hair was short and fell in waves to her chin and to his eyes was a dark grey. The butcher seemed to also think she was pretty if the scents he was putting off were any indication. Shikamaru kind of hated that he knew that.

He had more important things to do than angst about his transmutation, however. He crept closer to the sausage that was just visible over the edge of the counter.

"If you're not convinced, Emiko, I could give you a discount, of course. Or perhaps a sample?" The man leaned forward into the woman's space and she took a small step back as her scent soured.

Shikamaru lifted his body up onto his back legs and set a paw against the side of the cart for balance. The delicious scent of meat grew stronger. That sausage was _his._

"Oh, I don't know that I'm really a sausage person, Oto," she said sweetly and Shikamaru paused. Was that a joke?

Then he stretched his body as far as it would go and snapped at the sausage. His taste buds sang in joy as he latched onto it and the butcher turned just as Shikamaru jumped backward with his prize.

He should have been alarmed when the rest of the string of sausages came down with it, but all he felt was joy because he had _more sausages!_

"Hey!" the butcher yelled.

Shikamaru did what any self-respecting dog would do. He turned around and took off into a run. Being a dog, he thought distantly, was exhausting _._

It took him longer to escape the butcher than he thought was fair, considering the man's impressive bulk. Rage over lost sausages must be a serious motivator, though, because by the time Shikamaru was huddled in an entryway to a run down but neatly kept apartment building, the sun was low in the sky.

He gulped down his sausages, making happy dog noises as he did so. Part of him was a little appalled at the state they were in - he'd dragged them behind him as he ran, through god knows what - but the rest of him was just happy to be consuming his treat at long last.

"Oh, it's you," a familiar voice said and Shikamaru froze.

His eyes darted up to meet the gaze of the woman who didn't like sausage. _Emiko,_ the part of his brain that still focused on human things like names informed him.

She was standing on the sidewalk, a grocery bag in one hand and keys in the other. Her head was tilted to the side and she looked more curious than aggressive, so he decided to ignore her and get back to his important business. Shikamaru loved sausage. He loved it more than he had ever loved anything in his life.

The woman watched patiently while he finished gobbling his meal and stepped forward as he sniffed the ground around him to make sure there weren't any more of the stuffed-intestine ambrosia lying around. His ears drooped when he realized it was gone and he turned his attention to the woman in front of him, who was now squatting on her haunches.

"You poor thing, you look like you've had a hard day."

Shikamaru blinked, because now that he thought about it...reality came back to him in a rush and he made a small whimpering noise. It was almost dark, he had no idea where he was, and he still hadn't found Naruto.

She cooed and extended her hand towards him. He narrowed his eyes and stared at it, but she just held it out patiently. Finally, having nothing better to do, he stepped forward and sniffed it. She smelled of spices, uncooked grains, and floral soap. It wasn't unpleasant, despite the strange combination.

She slowly moved her hand so that it was scratching behind his ear, and that was just really nice. He turned his head to the side and she laughed and increased the pressure. He made a content little noise.

"Well, you don't look unhealthy, despite the dirt and injuries," she said thoughtfully, but he ignored her in favor of leaning into her scritches.

Shikamaru loved her. She was the best thing to have existed, ever.

"Right," she said and to his dismay, her fingers disappeared as she stood.

He stumbled forward and nudged her calf with his nose. She smiled down at him.

"Tomorrow we'll try to find your family, but for tonight, you can stay with me, okay?"

Shikamaru hesitated, but after a moment decided that wandering around as a small dog with no ninjutsu skills after dark was not a good idea.

Besides, Emiko seemed (amazing) nice enough and he could just sneak away in the morning to go find Naruto. Yes. This was a sound plan. It had nothing to do with how tired he was and the fact that if he went with her, he might get more ear scritches.

Nope, nothing to do with it at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru is definitely going to go find Naruto and get this whole 'turned into a dog' thing fixed. Right after his nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reijī = Lazy

Shikamaru regretted everything. He sat in the bath sulking as Emiko - the evil, horrible woman - rubbed some of her floral shampoo into his coat. Wet fur was awful _._

“Oh, poor thing, look at all that mud,” Emiko said and scratched her nails lightly along his sides while she massaged the soap into suds.

He was distracted from his misery by how amazing that felt. Emiko smiled and he noted how perfectly straight her teeth were. He assumed they were unstained, but wasn’t sure how well his eyes differentiated between shades of white.

She reached for the shower nozzle and he made a miserable little snuffling noise as she started to rinse him off. When she was finished she lifted him out of the tub, grunting a little at his weight. He sighed when she started vigorously rubbing him off with a towel. His annoying dog body was shivering, unable to hold in heat with his undercoat soaked through with water.

Emiko bit her lip and studied him. After a moment of thought she spun on her heels in the small bathroom and opened the cupboard located beneath the sink.

He hoped she hadn’t decided to put more product in his fur. He already smelled strongly of flowers. When she turned back around she had a hairdryer in her hands.

“Okay, sweetheart, let’s see if this helps.”

Five minutes later he was lying on her bedroom floor, making content noises as she ran an old hairbrush she’d found buried in a drawer through his fur, following it with the hairdryer which was blowing perfectly warm air on him. His eyes were drooping, but his ears flicked back to pick up her words as she spoke.

“I’ve never had a pet. I kinda thought you’d be scared of this, but you’re just a cool little cucumber, aren’t you? Look at that beautiful fur.” He rumbled in happiness.

“Yes, you’re a pretty puppy, hmm?”

Shikamaru’s eyes closed all the way and he only shifted when she nudged him over onto his other side. Shikamaru loved the hairdryer. The hairdryer was the best.

He drifted off into a nap, stirring once at the smell of onions and the sounds of clanking pots coming from the other room. He was still full from his dinner of pilfered sausages, so didn’t bother getting up.

Sometime later, a hand on his neck woke him and he peeked open one eye. Emiko was staring down at him, brow furrowed and bottom lip held between her teeth.

“I hope you aren’t sick. I thought dogs were supposed to be more active.”

Shikamaru just closed his eye again and ignored her. She huffed and his ears twitched when he heard her stand, then the padding of her footsteps as she crossed the room. A drawer opened and she muttered to herself for awhile before making a triumphant noise.

When she came back, she placed a hand on his neck again and he happily prepared himself for more neck or ear scratches. Instead, something slipped around his throat and he jolted, scrambling to his feet and backing away from Emiko.

She blinked at him from where she was still kneeling, the end of what looked like the belt to a robe in one hand. The material snaked between them, ending where it was tied around his neck.

“There, now, I know it’s not a real leash, but it’s the best I’ve got,” she said, voice low and soothing. “I just need to take you out to use the bathroom before bed.”

Horror left him dazed as he realized what she was saying. She expected Shikamaru to just...pee outside. Along with...he eyed the plastic bag in her other hand. Oh hell, no. No way was he doing this. Shikamaru was an elite soldier of Konohagakure. He was not letting some random civilian woman watch him use the bathroom and then _pick up after him._ No. Way.

Twenty minutes later he sulked back into the bedroom, ignoring Emiko’s amused gaze. She’d thought it was hilarious once she figured out that she had to turn her back to him or he wouldn’t be able to make himself go. She’d thought it was less funny when he scrambled into a bush to give into his body’s needs and poop. His brilliant plan had worked since she’d refused to wade into the bramble to clean up after him.

“Are all dogs this self-conscious?” Emiko asked but Shikamaru ignored her in favor of going back to the soft carpeting of her bedroom and curling up in the corner.

He hated Emiko. Emiko was the worst.

000

Emiko was the best. He consumed the meat pie she’d bought him for breakfast with vigor, feeling refreshed from the first full night of sleep he’d had in months. She sighed but didn’t argue when he trotted into his poop bush to do his business before they left for the day.

Emiko had put on a long, light-colored flowing skirt and scoop-necked long-sleeved tee of a darker hue. He’d sat and watched her do her makeup and hair with interest. Shikamaru had never paid particular attention to his mother’s or his ex-girlfriend’s morning rituals, but he now had a new appreciation for the complexity of the process.

He’d also caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. He had been spot on in his assumptions regarding his looks.

He had a squat, thick little body perched precariously on four short, stubby legs. His head was large for the body it was attached to, in his opinion, and his ears were positively batlike. His chest and belly were lighter than the rest of him and where his tail should be there was only a stump. Naruto was a dead man.

“Oh, look at you, admiring how handsome you are,” Emiko had cooed, bending down to pat his side as she walked by him on her way back to the bedroom.

His stump had wriggled at the attention without his permission, along with the whole back half of his body. Lack of control seemed to be the name of the game in his current predicament. He needed to find Naruto and get this reversed.

Just as soon as Emiko was done feeding and petting him.

He trotted along next to her, sniffing at the air and looking around him in an attempt to figure out where exactly in the village he was. She still had the makeshift leash around his neck, but it was loose. He could wriggle out of it and take off towards the direction of the Hokage tower once he knew which way to head.

Emiko would probably be a little sad, but she’d barely had any time to get attached to him and -

A man with a large dog appeared around the corner. That dog seemed close to Emiko. Was he too close to Emiko? That was dangerous, Shikamaru had to protect Emiko! That dog was bad. Bad, bad, bad -

“I said _no,_ dog!” A tug on the material around his throat and Emiko’s stern voice distracted him from his frantic barking.

He hunched down and looked up at her. She looked mad. Oh no. He’d upset Emiko.

She turned and apologized to the man, who looked more amused than anything at Shikamaru’s display. He huffed out his indignation - he was an  _elite shinobi,_ very deadly, he’d killed hundreds of men and -

Emiko turned back towards him, hands on her hips, and Shikamaru hunched down until his belly was touching the ground. Making Emiko mad was awful, it was the worst thing ever.

After a moment she sighed and crouched down and he made an involuntary noise of relief when she scratched behind his ear.

“You can’t just bark at other people like that, it’s not polite,” she scolded.

Shikamaru slunk forward until he was pressed against her and she giggled as she almost overbalanced. After a few blissful moments of her giving him rigorous pets, she stood. “Alright. Come on, we need to stop by the print shop before we go to work."

He trotted along next to her and when he saw another dog coming down the street he resisted the urge to bark at it, though his body was trembling with energy. The way she patted his head and called him a good boy after was the best thing to happen to him, ever.

At the print shop Emiko had the boy behind the counter take Shikamaru’s picture. They then spent some time bent over a printer while Shikamaru curled up next to it (it was warm) and dozed.

When they left an hour later Emiko had a handful of flyers with his picture and the caption FOUND DOG written above it and Emiko’s contact information below. He had felt a little guilty when he’d watched her hand over the money to pay for the stack of paper, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it.

He stayed with her while she hung the flyers on lampposts and stored windows, not missing the way everybody in the area seemed to greet her by name. She’d been living there for a long time, then. When all of the flyers had found a home she turned down a less crowded street full of storefronts.

He looked around in interest, taking in the clean but faded signs and doorways. It smelled of spices, produce, and burlap, along with the intermingling scents of the dozens of people who had already been through there that day. Being a dog was weird.

Which was why Shikamaru would definitely escape that day and find Naruto. Right after a nap - his tiny legs had done a lot of walking that day.

He and Emiko stopped in front of one of the stores set halfway down the street. The front of it looked freshly painted and Shikamaru thought it might be an off-white color. The sign on the front said Moro’s Dry Goods.

It smelled familiar, like grains and spices and lightly of Emiko’s shampoo. He realized why a moment later when she unlocked the front door with keys she had pulled from her bag. He followed her inside, taking in the wooden floors and narrow aisles lined with clear containers, filled with different types of grains, spices, and other bulk food items.

“It’s not much, but it’s been in my family for three generations,” Emiko said to him as she flipped a sign next to the door so that the word _Open_ was facing the outside.

He trotted after her, stopping to sneeze when he put his nose too close to a spice rack. She giggled and he huffed out his annoyance. He’d like to see how she did with super smelling in a store full of spices.

“Come on, you grumpy thing. I’ll set you up with a bed.” Shikamaru perked right up at the word 'bed _.'_

There was a counter with a cash register at the far end of the store, which was shaped like a long rectangle. Behind it was a door with an _Employees Only_ sign posted on it. He assumed it was storage.

She disappeared through the door while he sniffed around the area. The floor was swept and there was a tall stool next to the register. Beneath the counter were shelves full of things like price stickers, extra bags and pens, and what looked like a stack of ledgers.

When she came back out, she was holding an old, tattered-looking blanket that smelled strongly of her. “I use this to keep warm during the winter. It gets drafty in here. It’ll work nicely for a little bed, I think.”

She folded it and laid it out in the corner. She didn’t have to beckon Shikamaru over more than once before he moved to the blanket and collapsed onto it. Emiko laughed, then reached forward and scratched his neck.

His eyes drooped and he made a low groaning noise of pleasure. The blanket on top of the hardwood floor wasn’t the most comfortable bed he’d ever had, but it also wasn’t the worst place he’d ever fallen asleep. Ino always said he could sleep anywhere and she was right.

“Okay, cutie, I’ve got to get to work. I’m already behind. You have a nice nap, huh?”

Oh, he planned on it.

He was woken about thirty minutes later by the sound of a bell over the door. He barely resisted the urge to jump up and bark, but the thought of an angry Emiko was enough to keep him lying down.

“Emiko? Are you here?”

The Employees Only door opened and Emiko stepped through. She’d put a white apron on over the top of her skirt and her hair was being kept out of her face by a light grey bandana.

“Lito-san? Is that you?”

“Yes, dear. Oh, I saw the flyers you posted around town. Did you really find a lost dog?”

The voice grew louder as the owner moved closer. It was accompanied by slow, shuffling footsteps and Shikamaru lifted his head, curious.

A woman of about sixty-five or seventy appeared a moment later. Her hair was completely white and she was stooped over, a bag hanging from one arm. Her knuckles were swollen from arthritis that was probably also the culprit of her plodding gait. She smiled brightly when she caught sight of Emiko, who returned it with a grin of her own.

Emiko set down a rag she’d been holding on the counter and he watched as the two women embraced, but didn’t move from his spot. He was comfortable, after all, and intended to nap for at least another hour before leaving to hunt down Naruto.

“I did. The poor thing was covered in mud and positively shaking when I found him.”

Shikamaru glowered at her. He had not been shaking _,_ thank you very much.

“Oh, poor little poppin,” Lito said and turned her attention to him. “He’s even cuter than the picture on the flyers. Look at those ears."

He flopped back over and stared at the far wall as the two women began an enthusiastic discussion on the adorable nature of his paws and “stubby little legs.” Why couldn’t Naruto have turned him into a wolf or tiger? This was just humiliating.

Then Emiko was coming over and hefting his bulk up into her arms. He put up a token struggle until she scolded him and then went boneless. He was never telling anybody about this.

“Now, let Lito-san pet you,” Emiko said.

He sighed but didn’t protest when the woman brought a shaky hand up to rub along his back and sides. Emiko probably lifted him because Lito couldn’t bend over with her arthritis.

“Ah, he’s very soft. Will you keep him if nobody comes to claim him?”

Emiko hesitated, then shrugged and adjusted her grip on him. “I - probably, yeah.”

Lito hummed as Shikamaru tilted his head to encourage her to scratch at an itchy spot on his neck. She did so and his eyes closed in pleasure. Lito was amazing.

“I almost hope that nobody shows up. You’ve been so alone since your father died.”

Shikamaru lifted his head and glared at Lito when Emiko’s scent soured. The old woman laughed softly and patted him on the head before taking a step back.

“Ah, what does an old woman know. Though there are rumors that the butcher has his eye on you.” She cackled when Emiko made a horrified noise before setting Shikamaru on his feet.

“God, I hope not.”

Shikamaru went back to his bed, planning out horrible things to do to the butcher when he was human again. Emiko was his _,_ the butcher could find his own scritches-giving, delicious-food-providing person.

“Well, there’s always my grandson...” Lito’s voice drifted off and then she laughed again.

“Oh, yes, I know that look. Well, when you find the right person for you, you’ll know.”

Shikamaru closed his eyes when Emiko just snorted. “Maybe I’m just destined to collect stray dogs and live alone. Do you have a list for me?”

“I do, I do. My boy will be by in an hour with the cart to pick it up. It’s a bigger order than usual - we had a busy week at the restaurant,” Lito chirped.

“Oh, that’s good news,” Emiko said and Shikamaru’s ears twitched at the sound of crinkling paper. “Say hello to your brunch group for me. Will you tell Nano-san that her order of spices from Tea Country came in?”

“Yes, dear, of course...” their voices drifted off as they walked to the front of the store and Shikamaru fell back asleep to the sound of Emiko filling bags with grains of rice and humming off tune.

Three more people came in that morning and all of them stopped to pet Shikamaru and chat with Emiko before buying whatever it was that they came for. She was obviously part of a tight-knit community and that made him feel a little less guilty about his plan to take off without a word. Or, well, a bark.

“Okay, time to wake up. We’re going to go get some lunch,” Emiko’s said and he blinked open his eyes.

She was smiling down at him, makeshift leash in one hand. She’d taken off the bandana and apron so he assumed they were going out. He perked up at the mention of food, his stomach making a small rumbling noise. He’d been drifting in and out of sleep for a few hours, then.

He stood and waited patiently while she put the leash on him, then followed her out. She put up a sign declaring that she’d be back in half an hour and he followed her into the foot traffic, which was much heavier this time of day than it had been that morning.

They stopped at a dumpling stand and he scarfed down the order she put down in front of him while she sat on a bench and ate her own. Shikamaru had been planning on trying to escape by now, but there were so many people on the street that he was fairly sure one of them would be able to grab him if Emiko made a fuss.

He supposed one more afternoon of napping wouldn’t make much of a difference, in the grand scheme of things.

000

Shikamaru sat outside the administration building the next day nursing a bruised side and fuming. He’d made his escape from Emiko that morning, slipping out the door of the shop when a customer opened it. It had been awful, ignoring Emiko’s frantic pleas to come back, but he was a shinobi of Konohagakure and he had to report in for duty.

That was proving more difficult than he originally anticipated. From what he’d been able to overhear from the conversations around him his disappearance was a Big Deal. His old genin team, along with Naruto and a tracking team, had been sent out to track him down. Which meant none of the people he’d listed in his mind as people to approach and try to communicate his predicament to were in-village.

All of his attempts to get into the administration building to see Tsunade had been foiled and he wasn’t comfortable telling just anybody that Nara Shikamaru had been turned into a dog. He considered going to his mother, but he’d rather be a canine for another week than suffer through a lecture from her on being dumb enough to get caught up in an ally’s jutsu.

Shikamaru decided it was time to give up. It was late afternoon, he’d just been literally kicked out of the building in his last attempt to get to Tsunade, and he missed Emiko.

With a sigh, he turned and made his way back to the civilian sector. He’d come back in five days. That’s about how long it would take Naruto to give into the reality that they couldn’t find Shikamaru. The idiot was probably beside himself, along with Ino and Chouji. Tsunade was most likely cursing at the pile of paperwork she’d set aside for him.

When he turned down the street leading to Emiko’s shop, it was almost closing time. He paused after he’d gone a few steps and his heart clenched at the scene in front of him. Emiko was sitting on the stoop in front of the door, crying into a handkerchief. Lito was next to her, patting her shoulder and saying something in a low, soothing tone.

“I kn-know it’s stupid to be so attached after only a day, but I’m so worried. What if somebody hurts him, or he gets lost and can’t find his way back to Konoha? Poor dog,” she said, then sobbed.

“Oh, that dog is too wiley to get himself killed, I saw it in his eyes,” Lito said.

“He probably went to look for his real owners. I’m sure he m-misses them.”

Shikamaru was the worst dog in the world. He’d made Emiko cry _._ He lowered his ears and hunched down before slinking towards her and made a small whining noise in the back of his throat.

Emiko’s eyes widened and her head turned to the side. “D-dog? Oh my god, you’re okay!”

She stood and dashed over to him, falling to her knees, uncaring of the dirt that would probably stain her pants. Shikamaru pressed against her when she flung her arms around him. His tongue darted out to bathe her face in an attempt to clean the tears from it.

Shikamaru ignored how weird that was as both of her hands moved to scratch firmly at his sides and she peppered him with kisses. “You bad dog!” she said in a wobbly voice. “Don’t ever do that again. I was so scared.”

He let her bury her face in his neck and cling to him. Next time he went to find Naruto, he’d bring her with him. No need to make Emiko cry again. No, best to avoid that.

Lito hobbled over and patted Emiko on the head. “See? I told you. This boy’s too smart to leave a pretty girl like you behind.”

Shikamaru blinked when the woman winked down at him. There was no way she knew that he wasn’t a dog, right? That would be improbable.

“Thank you, Lito-san, for sitting with me,” Emiko said.

“Anytime, dear, anytime. I promised your father I’d keep an eye on you, after all. Well, these old bones are calling out for my bed. You two have a good night. And perhaps it’s time to give this dog a name, eh?”

Emiko smiled up at her. “Hmm, you’re probably right. Bye, Lito-san.”

Shikamaru followed Emiko inside, keeping his gaze on the ground and still feeling like the worst person - dog? - in the world whenever he caught sight of her swollen eyes.

“Alright,” she said briskly and turned towards him, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head to the side. “A name. It’ll have to be pretty special. Nothing like Aki or Taiki. Well. You’re kind of a lazy thing, aren’t you?” she said as he collapsed onto his blanket with a sigh.

“Okay. Reijī it is."

Shikamaru thought about making a fuss over the undignified name, but then decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. He slept the rest of her workday and didn’t fuss when she tied the rope around his neck.

“I think we’re just going to assume your family either doesn’t exist or that they’re out of town or something. I’m sure they would have seen the signs by now if they were looking for you. So, Reijī, let’s go to the pet store and get you some supplies, huh?”

They turned in the opposite direction of Emiko’s house, Shikamaru walking meekly at her side. His nose twitched when they entered what must be the pet shop and his mouth watered at the smell of what was probably dog food.

“Hey, Ran-san,” Emiko called to a young, skinny man with glasses sitting at a counter by the door.

“Ah, Emiko-san, I see the rumors about your new companion are true.”

Shikamaru stopped listening when his attention was caught by large metal shelves lining the far wall. Taking up a good half of the space were rows upon rows of dog beds. Fluffy, soft-looking dog beds in various shades of white and grey. 

It was _beautiful._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru's calm life as a dog becomes not-so-calm when he realizes that Emiko's in trouble. The type of trouble that a twenty-five pound canine can't get her out of. Guess he'll have to leave that nice, new dog bed for awhile.

Shikamaru stretched out his neck so that his head was between Emiko and her paperwork. She sighed, but obediently put the ledger on the end table and picked up her beer, then set about the very important task of petting him.

“You’re not even supposed to be on the couch, Reijī.” Shikamaru didn’t take her words to heart since she said them in a fond tone.

It had been two days since he’d run away and then come back to find her crying. Emiko had started to call him her dog, and it made Shikamaru’s little chest swell with pride every time. He knew he was being led around by his dog instincts, but fighting them was just too troublesome.

He breathed in her flowers-grains-spices-Emiko scent and rumbled happily. It was the best smell, ever.

“You know you have your very own doggie bed,” she said pointedly and he tipped his head to direct her fingers closer to his ear.

She giggled, then leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “Alright, you lazy thing, I really need to get my work done. You can only stay on the couch with me if you stop being distracting.”

He cracked open one eye at her, studying her soft expression, and decided he was probably safe from eviction. He turned onto his back in a clear bid for belly rubs. She sighed but acquiesced.

That night on their evening walk, after eating a satisfying, crunchy dinner of kibble, Shikamaru was forced to find a new poop bush as his old one was at capacity. Emiko rolled her eyes but let him wander around until he found a suitable replacement. She obediently turned her back to him and he huddled miserably behind the bush to do the necessary deed.

When they returned to the apartment, Shikamaru knew that they weren’t alone. For once his shinobi instincts overrode his dog ones and he put himself between Emiko and the sour-smelling man on the couch.

He crouched low and growled as the man stood, taking in his thick waist, broad shoulders, and cocky smile in one glance. He backed against Emiko in an attempt to herd her out into the hallway.

He heard her breath hitch and the increase of her heartbeat and could smell her fear when she broke into a sweat. When she spoke, though, her voice was clear and strong. “Yuuto-san. What are you doing in my house? I know your mother taught you better than to break and enter.”

His smile widened, and Shikamaru wrinkled his nose at his stained and crooked teeth. “Emiko-chan, when you didn’t answer your door, I let myself in to wait. I figured you wouldn’t mind. We were schoolmates, after all.”

“But never friends,” she said and Shikamaru scrambled to keep himself between her and Yuuto as she stepped further inside the house. What did she think was she doing? This guy was bad news. She knew it, too. “I suppose you’re here with a message from your boss?”

Yuuto’s eyes roved up and down her body, and Shikamaru’s growl deepened. “Oho, what’s this? Did you get yourself a guard dog? He’s kind of tiny for that kind of work, don’t you think?”

Shikamaru glared. It wasn’t his fault Naruto was an idiot.

Emiko sighed and moved towards the kitchen, and Shikamaru fell into step with her, keeping Yuuto in his line of vision. His thoughts whirled with possibilities of how this could play out and plans to take Yuuto down if he got too close.

His options were limited. Yuuto was right, Shikamaru wasn’t exactly guard dog material. He’d have to take him out with a well-placed bite to his jugular if it came down to it. Or he could trip him up at just the right moment and send him falling into a table or countertop...

“Tea, Yuuto-san?”

Shikamaru shot her a look of disbelief before turning his attention back to Yuuto. The linoleum of the floor was cold beneath the pads of his paws and he could see the ledger was still where Emiko had left it next to the couch.

Had it only been half an hour ago that they’d been cuddling while he did his level best to make her laugh? There were obviously things that he didn’t know about his precious Emiko - like the fact that she was somehow tangled up with some suspicious characters.

“No, thank you, Emiko-chan. This won’t take long.”

“Use -san, if you would, please,” she said and Shikamaru sent Yuuto a smug look.

Emiko was Shikamaru’s, nobody else was allowed to be so familiar with her. Yuuto just rolled his eyes.

“Still as difficult as always, _Emiko,”_ he said, drawing out the syllables of her name and Shikamaru growled again when he stepped into the kitchen.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt her,” he said to Shikamaru and knelt down and held his hand out towards him.

Shikamaru snapped at him, and his eyes went wide as he pulled his hand back just in time to avoid being bitten. “Damn, he’s one aggressive little dog.”

“What do you want, Yuuto-san?”

He stood. “Come on, Emiko, don’t be that way. We used to take baths together, remember?”

The fur on Shikamaru’s back went up and he decided that Yuuto had to die. He was obviously too dangerous to leave alive.

“Yeah, when we were toddlers,” Emiko said in a dry tone. “Back before our moms died and you decided to join a gang.”

“It’s a business organization, not a gang,” he said mildly. “Speaking of which, your request for another extension on your loan payment date has been considered...and denied.”

Emiko’s heartbeat picked up to an almost concerning level and her breath hitched. What loan? Just what was Emiko wrapped up in?

“Surely, there must be a way -”

“You know there is,” Yuuto said and took a step towards her, face intent.

“I already told you and Hanto-san, I won’t be working the loan off by cooking your books or laundering your money. Now get out.”

Shikamaru’s whole body went still at her words. Never. They would force her into something like that over Shikamaru’s dead, cold body.

Yuuto’s face darkened. “You know I’d pay it off for you, Emiko,” he said. “If you were my girl -”

“Well, I’m not your girl, Yuuto-san. I’m not anyone’s girl but my own.”

Shikamaru made a small noise of protest in the back of his throat and she gave a shaky laugh. “Well, and Reijī’s,” she added and he relaxed.

“Who the hell is Reijī?” Yuuto demanded and Emiko sighed.

“The dog, Yuuto-san, I’m talking about the dog.”

“Oh. Well, that’s alright then.”

“When is the next payment due?” she asked in a clipped tone, probably deciding to ignore his comment.

“Three days,” Yuuto said and Shikamaru’s mind raced.

Naruto might be back by then. If Shikamaru could get back to normal, he could pay off Emiko’s loan and talk to (beat the shit out of) Yuuto and whoever this Hanto character was. He’d make sure they never darkened her doorstep again.

“Your dog is looking at me weird,” Yuuto said.

“Yuuto-san, just go.” Emiko's voice was tired. “Tell Hanto-san I’ll have his money.”

“You know that eventually, you won’t be able to make the payments, Emiko. When that happens, I’ll be here. We both know it isn’t fair that you’re suffering for your father’s shortcomings,” Yuuto said in a tone that was probably supposed to sound soothing but was actually just condescending.

“If you don’t get out right now, Yuuto-san, you’ll be reliving that time in gym class when you slapped my ass.”

Yuuto went pale and he held his hands up in front of him. “Man, Emiko, no need to get violent.” He backed towards the door.

“I’ll show you violent,” she muttered as Shikamaru went light-headed with the urge to kill the man.

Yuuto chuckled. “You know I like ‘em fiery, Emiko-”

He yelped as a mug sailed through the air from the spot Emiko was standing, ducking right before it would have hit him squarely in the face. It shattered against the wall next to the door, and he eyed the pieces with a frown.

“I’ll see you in three days, Emiko,” he said as he stepped out of the apartment.

Shikamaru didn’t miss the fact that it sounded like a threat.

000

Emiko was up earlier than usual the next morning. Shikamaru peeked an eye open, then slammed it shut when she reached for the hem of her camisole.

He might not be all there mentally at the moment, but he was still a gentleman, dammit. Not that his dog-body was remotely interested in peeping, but it was the principle of the thing. Eventually, he would be a human again and he had a feeling he’d find the memories more interesting at that point.

He went back to dozing until he heard her approach his bed. His amazing, fluffy, soft bed that Emiko had bought after she had watched him leap from cushion to cushion at the pet store with more energy than he’d ever shown in her presence before. It had been the highlight of Shikamaru’s life as a dog.

He’d known this one was the winner as soon as he’d plopped down onto it and had made such happy noises while snuggling into it that Emiko had bought two. One for the store and one for home. Shikamaru loved Emiko more than he’d ever loved anything. Even more than naps.

He opened his eyes carefully and relaxed when he saw that she was fully dressed. She was wearing tailored pants and a blouse, much different than her usual flowing dresses and skirts. Her expression was drawn and she had bags under her eyes. He struggled to his feet and bumped his head against her knee.

Her lips turned up into a half-hearted smile before it dropped off her face. “Come on, sweet boy. Let’s go for your morning walk, huh?”

He sat patiently while she put on his new collar and leash. It wasn’t very comfortable, but she had been so pleased with the purchase that he suffered through it. He had also watched as the clerk put his name and Emiko’s contact information on the tags, and couldn’t help the pride that moved through him every time she put it on him. Being a dog was so weird.

Emiko was silent on their walk. Her shoulders were curved inward and her lips were pressed together. One arm was curled over her middle, the other hanging limply at her side and holding his leash. Shikamaru tried to cheer her up with his usual dog antics, but her lips barely twitched. When they got back to the apartment she fed him, then patted him on the head.

“Okay, Reijī, I’m going to go out and take care of something. I’ll come back and get you before work, okay?”

She stood and grabbed keys from the dish and Shikamaru panicked. She couldn’t leave without him, not with Yuuto-bastard lurking around out there. He scrambled after her and flung himself in front of the door.

Emiko rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Reijī, I don’t have the energy for this. Move.”

He sat down and huffed.

“Reijī, I said, _move.”_

He quailed under her glare but didn’t vacate his spot in front of the door.

“Dammit, Reijī,” she said and reached down to drag him away.

He dug his nails into the carpet and cursed his tiny body as he started to slowly slide across the floor. There was only one option left. He flung his head back and started making pitiful wailing noises that echoed throughout the apartment.

Emiko stopped dragging him and wrapped her hands around his muzzle. “Stop that, you idiot dog!” she hissed. “It’s too early, do you want to get us kicked out?”

He just stared at her and scooted back to his position in front of the door. Emiko sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Fine, you can come - but you’d better behave. If this doesn’t go well...”

She bit her lip and her brow furrowed. Then she shook her head and stood, releasing his muzzle. “No use dwelling. Come on, you annoying thing.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief and acted as meekly as possible while she put his collar on with jerky movements. He hated it when she was mad at him. His whole body was drawn in on itself and there was nothing he could do about it. As a dog, hiding his feelings was impossible.

“Oh, you,” she said with a sigh after they’d exited the apartment building.

He looked up from where he was walking at her side, ears back and head down. His heart lifted when he saw she was smiling slightly at him. She stopped and knelt down to hug him, and he snuffled into her armpit, making her laugh. “I’m sorry I was a grump this morning. Ignore me, I’m just in a bad mood.”

He accepted her apology pats gracefully.

Shikamaru eyed the lobby of the bank they’d entered. It was fairly empty so early in the morning and Shikamaru thought that might be the point. The woman at the desk smiled at Emiko.

“Emiko-san! Look at that cutie! I didn’t know you had a dog. Are you here to make a deposit?”

Shikamaru blinked at her rapid-fire speech but Emiko must have been used to it because she didn’t falter, though her smile was strained.

“Ah, no, Ami-san. I was actually wondering if Oto-san was available?”

“I’ll check. Go ahead and take a seat.”

Emiko sat down in one of the plush chairs in the lobby and Shikamaru settled at her feet, though he kept a wary eye out for trouble. Emiko was uncharacteristically still and her face was expressionless in a way he’d never seen on her before. He leaned against her leg and she patted his head absently.

A few minutes later Ami led them back into a small, tidy office. A round man in a nice suit stood and smiled, holding out both hands towards Emiko as Ami backed out of the room and closed the door.

“Emiko-san, it’s good to see you,” he said and she smiled warmly at him as she took his hands and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“Oto-san, you’re looking well. How is your family?”

“Oh, you know my wife, she’s always busy. My oldest just graduated from the Academy and joined a genin team,” he said in a proud tone.

“No! Little Kaito-kun? Tell him I said good job.”

“I will, I will. Now, sit down, you look tired. Do you want some tea?”

Emiko sat and he moved back behind his desk, though he paused to scratch Shikamaru behind the ears. He settled into his chair and gave Emiko a serious look when she turned down refreshments.

“Now, Emiko-san, I have a feeling you didn’t just stop by to chat.”

Emiko’s smile held no humor and she shook her head.

“No, Oto-san. I’ll get right to the point. You asked some time ago if Moro’s Goods was available for sale. At the time, I said no. I’m here to ask if you’re still interested.”

Shikamaru jerked in surprise. Emiko loved that store, he could see it in the way she trailed her hands across the counter and the smile she wore for her customers. She hummed in the mornings when she was getting ready and was generally the most content person Shikamaru had ever met. He was pretty sure that would change if she was forced to sell it.

“Emiko-san...is business not good?” Oto asked, voice low and concerned. “I was under the impression that your place was still the go-to for dry goods in the neighborhood.”

Emiko hesitated before answering. “It’s not that. Business is fine. It’s just...I don't know if you’re aware of the difficulties my father faced in trying to get my mother treatment when she first became ill.”

Emiko looked out the window as Oto leaned forward. “That was before the healthcare laws that Tsunade-sama passed after becoming Hokage, right?”

Emiko nodded. “Yes. We couldn’t afford the hospital bills, but we couldn’t just let her die, either. We couldn’t take out a second loan on the business, so dad...he got the money where he could.”

“Hanto-san,” Oto said and Emiko’s eyes widened as her gaze darted back to the man, who was looking grim.

“How did you -?”

“I got a visit from him a few days ago. He...suggested that I turn down any business opportunities that arose from your block.”

Emiko made a small, distressed noise and leaned back in her chair, face slack and eyes wide. Her heart was beating so fast that Shikamaru was worried she would pass out and he felt her trembling from where he was pressed against her leg.

“Why would he -”

“I presume,” Oto said carefully, “that Hanto-san thinks of you as one of his investments.”

Emiko’s face twisted into an expression of disgust. “If he thinks he can get me to agree to work for him, he’s wrong. I’d rather leave Konoha.”

Shikamaru’s throat tightened and panic moved through him. No, he wouldn’t let that happen.

“It won’t come to that,” Oto said. “I’ve never let somebody tell me where to invest my bank’s money before, and I won’t start now. If you want to sell, Emiko-san, I’m still interested.”

Emiko was quiet for a long time. When she spoke, her voice was low but calm. “No. I can’t let you endanger yourself or your family over this. Thank you, Oto-san, but I’ll get the money another way.”

Emiko stood and both Oto and Shikamaru scrambled to their feet.

“Emiko-san, please, reconsider. I doubt Hanto would move against me. My son has a jounin-sensei who would surely take umbrage to somebody messing with his student.”

Shikamaru’s brain latched onto that statement. Since when did somebody need to have a shinobi in their family to feel safe from a criminal like Hanto?

Emiko shook her head. “Maybe, but by then, it would be too late. He’ll have already hurt you. It’s okay, Oto-san. I’ve got a few other options.”

Oto tried to change her mind, but she just waved him off and left the bank.

Shikamaru’s thoughts were circling around each other, and he was torn between disbelief that his sweet Emiko was being targeted by a loan shark and rage that loan sharks were even a thing in Konoha. Just what was their Police Force doing with their time? Why had nobody even mentioned them as an option?

Emiko unlocked the door of the shop and he followed her back to the counter. She set down her things and turned towards the Employees Only door while Shikamaru headed for his bed, as was their usual ritual.

A small choked off noise had him turning back towards her and his heart clenched. She was facing the door, leaning on one hand that was propped on the wall. She was hunched over and her hair had fallen forward, hiding most of her face.

Her shoulders were shaking and a drop of wetness fell from behind the fall of her hair to land on the floor. Her sobs were muffled beneath the hand she’d clamped over her mouth and they tore at Shikamaru. He moved to lean against her leg, cursing the fact that he couldn’t even hug her properly.

 _Don’t worry,_ he tried to convey to her with a nuzzle. _I’ll fix it for you._

Emiko, he knew, couldn’t possibly understand what he was thinking. After all, in her eyes, Shikamaru was nothing more than an unusually lazy dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Oh, I'll write a cute little one shot about Shikamaru being a corgi for a day.
> 
> Also me: But some romance would be nice. Maybe just three chapters.
> 
> Me again: BUT WHAT IF I MAKE HER THE TARGET OF A LOAN SHARK, THAT WILL ONLY ADD TWO CHAPTERS.
> 
> It's a sickness, the lack of self control. Don't worry, I'm seeking help, and will one day be able to write a nice 3K one shot. Believe in me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru gets back to normal, but the situation isn't as easy of a fix as he originally thought.

Shikamaru couldn’t sleep that night. It might have had something to do with the way Emiko tossed and turned until she finally gave up and ghosted out to the living room. He heard the TV switch on and with a sigh, hefted himself up and joined her. She smiled at him, but the frown lines on her forehead didn’t smooth out.

Shikamaru had already decided that he’d have to leave the next day and find somebody that he trusted to help him out of this situation. He knew he’d most likely end up going to his mother, as she wasn’t surrounded by dog-hating ANBU like Tsunade was and could be trusted with his identity.

He hated the thought of leaving Emiko unprotected, and worse, making her even more upset than she already was by disappearing again. It couldn’t be helped, though. If he was going to be of any use to her, he needed to be Nara Shikamaru, not Reijī the dog.

Shikamaru wondered if she’d even want to talk to him again when she found out the truth. She’d probably hate him. The thought had him turning his face into her stomach and whimpering.

“What is it, darling? Do you need to go out?” He just snuffled and focused on breathing her in. How could he have ever thought that this wasn’t the best scent in the world?

Emiko sighed and ran her fingers through his fur. “Yeah, me too, buddy.”

They both fell asleep for a few hours on the couch. Emiko roused him with his food and despite the weight in his chest making it difficult to breathe, he gobbled it down enthusiastically. He skulked into the shop after her, already feeling horrible about his imminent desertion.

 _This is the best way to protect her,_ he told his dog-self seriously. It didn’t help that no part of him, human or otherwise, wanted to leave her. She took off his collar and he watched as she headed towards the door to the back room.

He would sneak to the front once she was back there, and hope that a customer came in before she discovered he wasn't in his bed. Then he’d slip out the door and -

The bell dinged, signaling that somebody had entered the store, and she paused and looked over her shoulder, letting her hand fall away from the doorknob. Shikamaru cursed whoever it was that had just come inside. Couldn’t they have waited thirty seconds?

“Emiko?”

“Lito-san,” Emiko said and smiled at the familiar voice.

Shikamaru decided he forgave the woman for ruining his chance to escape, just for that smile.

“Emiko, there you are,” Lito said as she hobbled into view.

“Did you run out of something? It’s not time for your weekly order yet.” Emiko moved to stand in front of her.

“Oh, no, we’re fine. I actually just came to give you this.”

Lito held out a thick envelope, and Emiko’s brow furrowed as she took it from her. “What is it?”

Instead of waiting for an answer she opened the flap and reached inside. Her face twisted into an expression of disbelief and Shikamaru took a step forward, craning his head up to see what had her reacting that way.

When she pulled her hand from the envelope, a large stack of money was in it. “Lito-san, what -”

“I heard that snake, Hanto, is giving you a hard time, and that you were considering selling the shop. That should hold him off for awhile.”

Emiko’s eyes were wide and Shikamaru winced when he saw they were shimmering with unshed tears. He wanted to make sure she never cried again, ever. “I - I can’t take this, Lito-san. I don’t know when I’d be able to pay you back -”

“Oh, we know that dear. In your own time is fine.”

“We?” Emiko said faintly.

“Well, yes. My whole brunch group pitched in.”

“But - but why?”

Lito studied Emiko with a shrewd expression before answering. “Your mother and father were always helping out other people, did you know? When my husband broke his leg, your dad took over and helped him run the kitchen while your mother kept your shop going. If it weren’t for them, we probably would have gone out of business.

“You’re just like them. Remember when Juno-san got sick and you kept her kids at your house for a week so she could recover? Or the time my idiot husband did his taxes wrong and you didn’t sleep for two days sorting it for us?

“We’re doing this because you would have done it for us. Your parents would have, too. It’s not right, what happened to your family, and nobody wants to stand by and watch while Hanto tries to break you down.”

Emiko was slowly shaking her head back and forth while staring down at the money. “This is too much.”

Lito wrapped a hand around Emiko’s and smiled. “Do a favor for some old women and just take it, hmm? We’d all hate to have to find a new place to buy our grains and spices.”

Emiko hesitated, then finally nodded. “Alright. Thank you. I’ll find a way to pay you back.”

Lito just patted her hand. “Well, don’t stress about it. We’re doing fine.”

Emiko hugged her. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means.”

Shikamaru’s body went limp with relief. The situation wasn’t solved, but now, at least, he had some time. He’d wait until Emiko had given the payment to Yuuto and then he’d go find Naruto. When he was back to normal, he’d pay Lito and her friends back. Then he’d go hunting.

He ignored the voice in the back of his mind telling him that being human meant he’d no longer be Emiko’s. It was ridiculous to mourn his life as a canine. Wasn’t it?

That day and the next passed quickly. Emiko was back to her cheerful self and Shikamaru basked in her good mood and affection. He was asleep in his dog bed when there was a knock on her door the evening that Yuuto had promised to return.

He skidded out of bed and into the living room and Emiko shot him an amused glance as she opened the door. Yuuto was standing there, lips pulled up into a leer, and Emiko glared at him before stepping back and letting him into the apartment.

He glanced at Shikamaru, who growled and moved to press himself against Emiko. She tripped over him and he ignored the glare she sent him after regaining her balance in favor of scrambling to keep himself between her and the threat.

“Well, Emiko, time’s up. I’m guessing not much has changed between now and -”

“Here,” she said, stepping over Shikamaru to get to the coffee table.

She picked up the envelope Lito had given her and tossed it to Yuuto while Shikamaru trotted back to her side.

Yuuto looked down at the envelope. Finally, his brow furrowed and he opened it. “Where the hell did you get this, woman?” he snapped as he pulled the money out.

Emiko crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s none of your business, Yuuto-san. Now, you have your money. Tell Hanto-san that I’ll bring the next payment directly to him, so there’s no need for you to play messenger.”

Yuuto was thumbing through the money, mouth moving as he counted, and Shikamaru didn’t miss the way his smile went sly.

“Sorry, Emiko, but this isn’t the full amount.”

Shikamaru curled his lip back, and Emiko’s smile faltered. “What? Yes, it is - I counted it twice.”

“This is the base amount. It doesn’t count the interest from your last extension.”

Emiko stiffened. “Hanto-san didn’t mention extra interest when he agreed to give me more time.”

Yuuto shrugged, but his expression was amused. “Not my problem, babe. You got the money or not?”

Emiko swallowed. “How - how much?”

Shikamaru winced at the number he rattled off.

“But that’s half the amount of the payment itself!”

“This is why women shouldn’t do business,” Yuuto said and took a step towards her.

Shikamaru leapt forward and snapped his teeth in warning.

He jumped back. “Fuck, your dog is crazy!”

“He’s protective. I’d keep your distance if I were you, Yuuto,” Emiko warned. Shikamaru nodded his approval when she moved to put the couch between them.

“Listen, Emiko. You can either agree to cook the boss’s books - you know you could do it better than just about anybody - or I can leave a nice big bruise on your face and a broken wrist for underpaying.”

“I’m not a criminal, Yuuto,” she snapped. “Now take the money and get out. It’s the agreed upon amount.”

“That isn’t how this works, Emiko, and you know it,” he said in a low tone.

Dread pooled in Shikamaru’s gut as Yuuto’s expression went blank and cold. He knew that look; he had seen it plenty of times in his work. It was the way a man held himself right before he became violent.

“If you want, you and I can work something out. I can afford the payments -”

“Your mother would be so disappointed in you,” Emiko spat and his eyes narrowed.

“You leave my mother out of this.”

“I bet she’s watching right now, wondering how her little Yuti-kun turned out so wrong -”

Yuuto moved more quickly than Shikamaru would have expected from the man. He leaped straight over Shikamaru, his feet hitting the cushions of the couch for only a moment. Then his hand went to the back of it and he propelled himself over it.

Emiko’s eyes widened and she spun on her heel and took off towards the kitchen, her long skirt flaring out behind her. Shikamaru was already chasing after them, mind moving into a familiar cold, analytical clarity that he hadn’t realized he’d been missing the past week.

When Emiko reached the kitchen she grabbed the back of one of the chairs, then spun and swung it at Yuuto. He lifted an arm to shield his face and swore when she got in a solid hit, the cheap wood breaking into two pieces before clattering to the floor.

“Dammit, Emiko, that hurt! Just stop and listen, alright? If you don’t agree to come with me, I’ll have to rough you up. It’s nothing personal - it’s just business. People have to know that missing a payment isn’t okay.”

“Fuck you, Yuuto,” she spat and she scrambled for the counter.

“You aren’t - shit!”

Shikamaru latched his teeth into the back of his leg and was doing his level best to tear through the tendon there. If he could immobilize him - he yelped as the man reached down and grabbed his scruff, ripping him off his leg. The taste of blood filled his mouth and Yuuto roared in pain.

Then Shikamaru was sailing through the air, Emiko’s call of “Reijī!” reaching his ears right before he hit the wall. He bounced off of it and hit the floor, dazed and scrabbling at the slick linoleum as he tried to stand. His whole right side was throbbing and his vision was blurry, but Shikamaru was a shinobi - pain was a familiar companion.

When he finally got to his feet, he froze. Yuuto had drawn a knife and was looking at Shikamaru with narrowed eyes. Blood was pooling on the floor at his feet from the chunk of flesh Shikamaru had taken with him when he’d torn him free. Emiko was standing across the room with a frying pan in her hand, watching Yuuto with wide eyes.

“This is actually perfect. If I kill the dog, Hanto will accept that as enough of a warning. I won’t have to hurt you.”

“What?” Emiko yelled and Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed.

Bring it, he thought at the man as his lips pulled back into a snarl. He was so ready to kill him.

“No! Yuuto, don’t, you can’t, please.” Emiko’s voice was desperate and it made Shikamaru even more furious.

“Emiko, I’m sorry, but you haven’t left me a choice.” He stepped around one of the halves of the chair.

Shikamaru knelt low, ready to launch himself at Yuuto as soon as he got close enough.

“No!” Emiko said.

Shikamaru’s eyes widened when she launched herself onto the man’s back. The arm that wasn’t gripping the frying pan went around his neck and she hitched her legs up so that they were clamped onto his sides.

“Emiko, what the hell?” He staggered under her weight as she brought the edge of the frying pan down on his stomach.

The air left Yuuto in a long, high pitched exhalation. He dropped the knife and wrapped one arm around his middle. The other hand went up to grab Emiko’s wrist before she could bring her arm back down in another swing.

She screamed, her eyes widening and her legs flailing as he spun around and slammed her into the wall. She let go of him and slid to the floor, dazed.

All thoughts of planning and analysis flew from Shikamaru’s mind at the sight of her slumped on the floor. The fur on his back and neck bristled and he dove for Yuuto, low snarling noises that he didn’t even realize he was capable of making leaving his mouth.

“Fuck!” Yuuto said and scrambled backward.

Shikamaru leapt and his teeth latched into the meat of Yuuto’s thigh. He clamped his jaw shut and reveled in the spray of blood in his mouth and Yuuto’s pained scream.

His triumph was short lived. A massive fist slammed into his temple and his jaw loosened without his permission. He dropped to the floor and Yuuto’s boot connected with his side before he could recover. He slid across the floor, legs splayed, too disoriented to stop his momentum. His vision greyed out for an indeterminate amount of time and when he woke up, Emiko was screaming.

He lifted his head and saw that Emiko was kneeling in the middle of the floor, scratching at Yuuta where his hand was wrapped in her hair. Tears were running down her face and one of the sleeves of her blouse was ripped.

“Dammit, Emiko, will you calm down!”

“You killed him, you killed my dog. I hate you! I hate you!”

She slumped over, sobbing, and he let go of her hair as soon as it became apparent that she wasn’t going to attack him anymore.

“This is your own damn fault. If you weren’t so stubborn -”

She just buried her face in her hands and cried, ignoring the man talking above her. Shikamaru wobbled to his feet. He was so done with this situation. Yuuto turned towards him.

“What the hell is up with this dog?” he snapped when he saw he was conscious.

Emiko dropped her hands and looked at him. Her face brightened through her tears and Shikamaru wanted to run over and shove his nose into her stomach since that always made her laugh.

“Reijī! You’re alive,” she said voice choked. She moved to crawl towards him and Yuuto grabbed her arm.

Shikamaru adjusted his stance so that he was no longer swaying. He was shaking in rage, and determination to protect Emiko moved through him. He wished, with all his being, that he was human again so that he could deal with this guy.

Something clenched in his stomach, and he yelped as fiery pain moved through his limbs. Emiko wrapped her arms around Yuuto’s legs when he went to move towards Shikamaru again.

“No!” she yelled. “I won’t let you. It’s fine, you can take me, I’ll do your stupid books, okay?”

Shikamaru hunched over as the burning sensation moved into his limbs and gagged at the feeling as it flared in his head. He couldn’t die, he had to save Emiko. He had to -

Sparks erupted from behind the eyelids he hadn’t even realized he’d squeezed shut and the next thing he knew he was sprawled out on the linoleum and Emiko and Yuuto were both gaping at him from across the room. Emiko was still wrapped around Yuuto’s legs and both of his hands were paused mid-push on her shoulders.

Shikamaru looked down at himself. He was human again. Human, and naked. He could feel the grooves of the linoleum tiles pressing into his back. He blinked rapidly as his brain adjusted to seeing in color again. Everything felt muted and it took him a long moment to realize it was due to his ears and nose going back to regular old human grade again.

Then his chakra rushed back through him and he gasped. The noise seemed to unpause Yuuto and Emiko because he pushed her away and took a step back.

“What the fuck -” he said just as Emiko whispered, “Reijī?” in a small, wobbly voice that tore at Shikamaru’s insides.

He couldn’t respond, though, because Yuuto was diving for the knife he’d dropped earlier. Shikamaru got to his feet, ignoring the shakiness in his legs.

“Well, now that I’m back to normal, I think that you and I should have a chat, Yuuto.”

His voice was rough with disuse and the hits he’d taken from the other man while in dog form were throbbing, but he ignored that in favor of making a hand sign.

“Oh fuck, you’re a fucking shinobi,” Yuuto said.

“Eloquent,” Shikamaru drawled.

Yuuto made his first intelligent decision since Shikamaru had met him and dropped the knife, then turned to run. Shikamaru’s shadows snagged him before he could take more than a few steps.

Emiko squeaked from her spot on the floor as one began to climb up the trembling man’s torso. It wrapped around his throat and squeezed and Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed in satisfaction when he made a strangled noise.

“Don’t,” Emiko said in a soft voice and Shikamaru glanced over at her.

She was staring at a spot on the wall behind him, but her expression was still pleading. “Don’t kill him.”

Shikamaru scowled. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. His mother was my mother’s best friend. She wouldn’t want him to die.”

Shikamaru wasn’t so sure about that, but instead of killing him he cut off his air supply until he passed out. He let Yuuto slump to the floor without softening the fall and felt dark satisfaction when he landed face first onto one of the pieces of the broken chair.

Shikamaru only then remembered that he was naked and a blush rose from his chest, up his neck, and onto his cheeks. For lack of any better options, he reached down and swiped up the cushion from the now-destroyed chair, moving it in front of him to cover his groin.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

Her eyes darted from Yuuto to him, and she relaxed when she saw he’d covered himself.

She was beautiful in full color. Her hair was a rich brown, cut just below her chin in a bob. Her eyes were a light green and her skin was clear with a scattering of freckles across her nose. No wonder Yuuto and the butcher were so intent on dating her.

He blinked a little at the bright colors she was wearing. Her skirt was a cheery yellow and her top was a pretty light blue with tiny pink polka dots on it. He wondered if all of her outfits were so loud.

“I - I’m okay. Um. Who are you? And why are you naked? Where - where’s Reijī?” she said the last in a low, tremulous voice that made his chest clench.

“My name is Nara Shikamaru,” he said slowly to buy himself time to think and she gasped.

“The shinobi sector of the village is going crazy trying to find you!”

“Yeah...I ran into some trouble...listen, do you have something I could wear? Like your robe?”

Her gaze went to his chest and she blushed.

“Yes. Just. Give me a second,” Emiko said and stood.

He took a step towards her when she swayed, concerned, and her eyes widened in fear. He stopped abruptly, jaw tensing at the realization that it was _him_ making her look that way.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll stay over here. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Emiko stared at him, then took a shuddering breath and nodded, her face smoothing into the same pleasant mask she used when dealing with demanding customers. It felt much worse than the developing bruises littering his back and sides.

When she returned from her room she was holding a pair of old, faded pants and a button-up shirt. Shikamaru sent her a questioning glance and she shrugged as she held them towards him with a shaking hand.

“They were my father’s,” she said then turned her back on him so he could tug them on.

The pants were too short and a little loose around the middle and he was swimming in the shirt, which ended abruptly mid-forearm, but it was much better than being naked.

“I’m decent,” he said and she turned back to him.

She was staring at him with wide eyes, and he had to resist the urge to go over and pull her into a hug or nuzzle into her. “Where's Reijī?”

Shikamaru took a deep breath, then rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the side. “I am Reijī,” he admitted.

“You - you -” He looked over just in time to duck and avoid getting brained by the frying pan that had been on the floor a second ago.

“You pervert!” she shrieked and he dove to the side when she swung it at his head again. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were a deep red.

“What? What the hell! I’m not a pervert!”

“You were spying on me!” she said and he tripped over the half of the chair not connected to Yuuto’s face to avoid her next swing, landing on his ass and sliding backward a few feet on the slippery surface.

“I wasn’t!” he denied even as he scrambled to his feet and dashed across the kitchen.

“You watched me undress!”

“I closed my eyes!”

She paused and gave him a suspicious look. “Why should I believe you? What, did you think it was funny? Just a hilarious joke to play on the poor lonely civilian?”

“No!” he said as her eyes filled with tears and the pan shook in her hands.

“No, Emiko, I swear, it wasn’t a joke. I got caught in a jutsu that turned me into a dog. I wasn’t...well, honestly, I wasn’t all there, mentally. I could still think, but a lot of what I did was on instinct.” He grimaced as she lowered the pan slightly, frowning at him.

“So you weren’t perving on me?”

“No. I wasn’t even thinking in those terms as a dog,” Shikamaru admitted.

She was quiet for a long time and he shifted uncomfortably but didn’t rush her. Her expression went from confusion to realization, to outright horror, presumably as she replayed the past week in her head.

“Oh my god, Nara Shikamaru was my dog. I - I called Nara Shikamaru a bad dog!”

She moaned and dropped her hands to her side, letting the frying pan fall to the floor with a clunk. “I made Nara Shikamaru pee outside.”

He closed his eyes for a few long beats and when he opened them, she was studying the floor and chewing on her lip. "That means...that Reijī never existed, then,” she said and Shikamaru flinched at the pain in her voice.

“No, not really.”

She turned away and her shoulders hunched up and curled inwards. “I think...I’d like you to go now."

Before he could reply she strode out of the kitchen and into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. The sound of it latching felt final in the silence and he looked around at the destruction of the kitchen in disbelief.

Finally, heart heavy and having nothing better to do, he hefted Yuuto over one shoulder and made his way to the door. He had to resist dropping him and running into the bedroom when the last thing he heard as he closed it behind him were the sounds of Emiko’s muffled sobs.

  
000

  
To say that the night shift of T&I was surprised when Nara Shikamaru returned from what people were starting to assume was death by slamming into their underground lair would be an understatement.

Jaws dropped when he stomped into their office wearing ill-fitting clothes with an unconscious and bleeding man over his shoulder. He stepped up to the front desk and dropped the man to the floor without care, ignoring the blood that was seeping into their brand new carpeting.

“Get me Yamanaka Ino,” he said in a flat tone to the wide-eyed chunin at the desk.

When she just continued to sit and stare he snapped, “Now,” and she jolted.

“I - I’m sorry Nara-sama, but she’s not in the office -”

“Is she in the village?” he asked, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes.

“Yes. She just returned this morning -”

“Then go get her. Now!” he barked.

The kunoichi scurried out from behind her desk and darted out the door, eyes swimming with tears.

Shikamaru bent down and grabbed the unconscious man by the back of his shirt, then straightened. People scattered out of his way as he stalked across the room, his prisoner hanging from his grip on his shirt, arms and legs dragging behind him. A trail of blood marked his passing.

“And somebody get me Tsunade-sama!” he yelled just before the door that led to the interrogation rooms slammed shut behind him.

“Holy shit,” a shell-shocked man said. “I thought Nara were supposed to be calm. He’s scarier than Yamanaka-sama when she’s on a rampage!”

“Was that blood on his lips?” a woman asked.

000

  
Shikamaru glared through the one-way mirror at Yuuto, who was coming back into consciousness.

One whole half of his face, along with a thick band across his throat, was covered in darkening bruises. Shikamaru hadn’t bothered to bandage his wounds before cuffing him to the table. They were nasty, but not life-threatening.

Yuuto blinked his eyes open and it took him a good minute to take in his situation. Shikamaru turned away as he started to panic, worried that he wouldn’t be able to resist killing the man if he focused too much on him. Emiko had asked him not to, after all, and though he’d lost the overwhelming, instinctual need to follow her lead, he still hated the thought of causing her pain.

Shikamaru was so fucked.

The door flew open to reveal Ino, who was dressed in a pair of purple yoga pants and a long-sleeved black shirt that hugged her curves. Though they probably cost more than Shikamaru’s whole wardrobe, he knew she’d consider them lounging clothes. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and there was no makeup on her face. She looked younger like this, especially when he took in her pale face and the bags beneath her eyes.

He winced at the proof of how worried she must have been, but before he could feel too guilty she was flying across the room. Shikamaru grunted as the impact of her hug hit every one of his bruises but hugged her back with minimal complaining. She didn’t say anything for a long moment, which was in itself fairly telling.

“Sorry, Ino,” he said and barely stopped himself from nuzzling into her hair. He was still shaking off the after-effects and habits from being Reijī for a week.

She pulled back and sniffled, then carefully wiped at the moisture gathered at the corner of her eyes. “Where were you? Do you have any idea how stressful it was trying to find your lazy ass? You just disappeared without a trace!”

He rubbed at his temples, trying to will away the headache he still had from his transformation. “I’ll explain it once Tsunade-sama gets here -”

“Nara!” a familiar voice snapped and he looked up to see an annoyed Tsunade standing in the doorway.

“Hokage-sama -”

“Shikamaru!” An orange blur zipped around Tsunade and slammed into him.

“Ouch,” he wheezed as Naruto aggressively hugged him and wailed into his ear.

“You’re hurt! Why didn’t you tell me!” Ino said and Naruto yelped as she tugged him away by the back of his shirt.

The room descended into chaos for a good thirty seconds as Ino started pushing up his shirt to look at his injuries and Naruto flitted around him asking rapid-fire questions.

“Enough!” Tsunade yelled and everybody paused. “Nara, tell me what happened. And who the hell is the guy in interrogation?”

Naruto ran to the glass and plastered his face against it. “Hey, that’s a civilian,” he said and Shikamaru sighed and looked at the ceiling.

“Hokage-sama, I will explain. But first, I’d like to request that you provide protection for a civilian named Moro Emiko. She’s in danger from a local criminal.” He met Tsunade’s eyes. “If it weren’t for her, I’d probably be dead right now.” 

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed at him. Then she snapped her fingers and an ANBU appeared next to her. “Bear. You’re on protection duty for this Moro-san. Shikamaru, give him the information he needs to find her.”

Shikamaru gave him the location of her apartment and store along with a physical description and he blurred out of existence. “Thank you, Hokage-sama. I’ll send one of my clan to relieve him as soon as I’m able.”

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t comment. “Fine. Now, tell us what happened. Who was responsible for your disappearance?”

Shikamaru leaned against the wall. “The person responsible is standing right next to you,” he said casually and tipped his head at Naruto.

“Wh-what?” he yelped and quailed when Ino turned a glare at him. “I didn’t do anything. I swear!”

“Tell me, Naruto. The day I was sent to get you for the meeting. What were you working on in the forest?”

Naruto’s brow scrunched. “Um. I was working on...uh...oh,” he breathed and Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

“It worked!” the blonde yelled and put his fists into the air. “I’m a genius!”

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose as his headache grew, then sent Ino a thankful look when she placed a cool hand to the side of his head and the pain faded.

“So, wait, you were transformed into a fox this whole time? Why didn’t you come find us?” Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side.

“You were what?” Tsunade asked in an impatient, dangerous tone that had sweat breaking out on Shikamaru’s back.

“A fox? Is that what you were going for?” Shikamaru asked and sighed. “Figures. Well, to cut through the annoying explanations: Tsunade-sama, when I went to get Naruto, I got caught up in a seal he was testing and was turned into a canine.”

He fell into the bored, straightforward tone he always used for reports, tired of the runaround, and ignored Ino’s shocked reaction and Tsunade's glower. “I’m not sure if this was an unintended side effect, but I was mentally compromised. I did try to seek help once, but could not make it to anybody I trusted. After that, it was difficult to focus on anything, though I still retained some higher cognition.”

Tsunade turned slowly to Naruto, who took a step back and held up his hands. “You hit my strongest strategist with a seal that mentally compromised him?” she said in a low, terrifying tone. “What have I told you about testing seals, Naruto?”

“Uh...that I should do it outside of the village? But! Tsunade-baachan! If it worked, the reversal should have been as easy as him wanting to be human again.”

Shikamaru blinked as he took that in, ignoring Tsunade as she cracked her knuckles at Naruto. Huh. That explained why he transformed when he did. He’d been desperate to be human at the time. The rest of his time as a dog, he’d been too caught up in his impulses to truly want to be human again. Especially after he found Emiko.

Deciding that he should probably save Naruto from an early grave, he spoke up, continuing his report and pulling their attention to him. He skimmed over the details of being Emiko’s dog after she took him in, but from the knowing look Ino sent him, she probably suspected some feelings were going on beneath the surface. She was going to be a total pain about it later.

When he finished with the explanation of how he’d ended up with a beaten civilian in interrogation, Tsunade looked grim. She snapped her fingers again and another ANBU, this one in a mole mask, appeared.

“Get me Asano Shinsuke,” she said.

Shikamaru relaxed as he realized she was going to take the situation seriously. Asano Shinsuke was the current chief of police of the Military Police Force. Shikamaru was looking forward to meeting him - he had some questions for the man.

000

  
Shikamaru slammed into his house hours later, furious. The situation with Hanto was much more complicated than he’d initially anticipated.

Hanto was Hantoro Ichiro, a well-known political figure and businessman. His connections in the village ran deep and he’d been slipping through the fingers of the military police force for years. Shikamaru suspected that he was probably bribing some people at the MPF, though Asano just seemed terrified of him as opposed to owned by him.

Tsunade had looked through the files on Hantaro, listened to Asano’s stuttering explanation, then dismissed the man. Shikamaru had known he wasn’t going to like what she had to say when she gave him a level look.

“I’m letting Yuuto go,” she had said bluntly.

“What?” Shikamaru had stood, fists clenched at his sides as an image of the man holding a sobbing Emiko back by her hair flitted through his mind.

“After everything he’s told you?” Naruto had asked from next to him, dismayed.

Tsunade had sat back and rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Shikamaru, think. You said yourself you were mentally compromised. His lawyers and contacts are too good - your testimony won’t hold up. We have Moro-san as a possible witness, but we also know witnesses against him tend to die mysteriously.”

Shikamaru had clenched his jaw so hard it popped as his mind caught up with what she’d already seen. He was still off his game. If they moved on him with Shikamaru's information, they would lose.

“Then what are we going to do?” he’d asked after a pause.

“I’m going to put some of my own people on it,” Tsunade had said grimly. “And no, not you. You’re emotionally compromised by this case, Shikamaru. I want you to stay far away from it.”

“You said it yourself. I’m your best strategic mind. I can -”

“No,” she’d said in a hard tone.

Shikamaru had taken a few seconds to breathe deeply and keep his temper in check at that. “Okay. And what about Emiko?”

Tsunade raised her eyebrows at him. “Well, you’re a big, strong shinobi. I’m sure you and your clan can keep her safe from one civilian crime lord while I work on taking him down. Now leave my office, I have work to do.”

Shikamaru had stalked back to his apartment, shrugging off Ino’s and Naruto’s attempts to talk to him. He supposed this whole night had been an answer as to why the civilians didn’t go to the MPF for help. He remembered the sad look in Emiko’s eyes the past few days. He’d been so sure he could save her once he was human again. Now he was letting her down - again.

“Fuck!” he yelled and punched the wall in his entryway.

“Language,” a familiar voice said mildly and Shikamaru breathed out slowly, moving his gaze from the brand new hole in his wall to his mother, who was standing at the end of his hallway.

“Mom,” he said and she crossed the distance between them and pulled him into a hug.

“Shikamaru,” she whispered after tugging his head down to her shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“I screwed up,” he admitted into her neck.

She patted his back. “Come on. I’ll make you breakfast while you shower, and then you can tell me about it.”

By the time he was clean and full of his mother’s cooking, he’d given her a basic rundown of the situation. She seemed unphased by the ridiculous story and Shikamaru supposed she’d probably heard weirder. She’d been the wife of a clan head and the jounin commander for over twenty years, after all.

“So you feel like you can’t do anything because you’ve been forbidden to take this Hanto character down,” she said flatly and he shrugged down at his empty plate.

Yoshino sighed, a fond sound, then reached across the table to put her hand over his. He looked up into her amused gaze and glowered. There was nothing funny about this.

“You’re so like your father,” she said a little wistfully and his annoyance faded.

“He used to forget, too. You are not just a strategic mind, Shikamaru. You have real, physical power. You are the head of a powerful and respected clan. You have many strong allies and plenty of money. You are also quite terrifying to anybody who doesn’t remember the little boy who used to spend all his time griping and watching clouds.”

His brow furrowed and she rolled her eyes at his confusion. “Shikamaru. I know this is hard for a devious Nara to understand, but sometimes the upfront method is the best.”

She patted his hand when she saw realization dawn. “That’s right, you silly boy. Stop looking at the big picture in this one instance. You might not be able to lead the takedown against Hanto, but you can certainly get him to leave your girl alone.”

“She’s not my girl,” he muttered and ignored her knowing look when his shoulders slumped.

“Well, at any rate, you want to protect her. So, go and protect her.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru has no cool when it comes to women but he's adorable, so it's fine. Also, there's a puppy.

“Hantoro-san will see you, now,” the pleasant middle-aged secretary said to Shikamaru with a smile.

Shikamaru stood, swiping up the bag he’d brought with him and already missing the plush chair he’d been sprawled in while he waited. He hadn’t been there long - only fifteen minutes - which he knew was nothing short of a miracle since he hadn’t made an appointment. Hantoro Ichiro was a busy man.

Being a politician, businessman, and head of a small criminal side-gig was time-consuming. Then again, Shikamaru’s mother had a point. Shikamaru wasn’t a man people tended to leave waiting, either.

He stepped through the heavy oak door and took in the room with a glance. Thick blue carpeting, sturdy, masculine furniture made from Hashirama wood. It was large, with a small bar holding crystal decanters in one corner. Tall windows let in the early morning light and everything was tidy.

Shikamaru had a feeling that this wasn’t where Hantoro met up with the people he was terrorizing in his secondary job. His gaze fell on the man himself, who had stood when he entered. He was a small man, soft around the edges in a way that spoke of little exercise and a diet of rich food.

For all that, he wasn’t unattractive. His hair was blonde with a few streaks of grey running through it and it was thick for his age. He had a neatly trimmed blonde goatee and was wearing a tailored three-piece suit.

Standing behind him and to his right was Yuuto, who was still sporting the bruises Shikamaru had given him the night before. His eyes widened when he saw Shikamaru enter and he took a step back.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Yuuto hissed and Shikamaru gave him a slow smile.

“Not happy to see me, Yuuto?”

“Come, now, Yuuto, don’t be rude. I’m sure we have nothing to fear from Nara-sama, here,” Hantoro said.

Shikamaru turned his attention back to the real threat in the room. Hantoro was an average looking man, but Shikamaru could see, from the way Hantoro was taking him in, that he was no idiot.

Shikamaru hummed instead of answering the unspoken question and put his free hand in his pocket. “Good morning, Hantoro-san. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” he said in a low, calm tone.

“Of course, of course, please sit down,” Hantoro said, gesturing to the chair. “Would you like something to drink? Tea? Something stronger, perhaps?”

“No,” Shikamaru said before sprawling into the chair. He stretched one leg out in front of him and laced his fingers together over his stomach.

Hantoro faltered, only for a moment, but it was enough. Shikamaru knew, now, that the man was scared of him. Well, Shikamaru suspected he was quite intelligent, and it wasn’t like he was subtle in his attempts to intimidate.

He knew exactly how he looked right now. He was wearing his usual outfit - black pants and shirt with a flak jacket over the top. He’d made sure to put on one of the shirts that had the Nara clan symbol prominently displayed on one shoulder.

Shikamaru also knew that he looked like a large jungle cat, indolent and half-asleep, but coiled with energy that meant he was ready to strike. He’d learned this particular bearing from watching his father intimidate people without speaking a word. He blinked slowly at Hantoro, who cleared his throat and sat.

“Well. I heard that you had a bit of a run in with one of my men,” he said and gestured towards Yuuto. “The story he told me was pretty fantastical, I must admit, but I hope you know that he had no idea who you were at the time.”

Shikamaru gave Yuuto a hard stare, making it clear just how much he’d like a chance to pummel him again. Yuuto gulped, and sweat broke out over his forehead.

Shikamaru let the silence drag out for an uncomfortably long moment before speaking. “I figured. I was undercover at the time, after all,” he said, going with the cover story he and Tsunade had agreed on. It sounded much better than ‘our future Hokage accidentally turned me into a dog,’ after all.

Hantoro sat forward, interested, but Shikamaru cut off any questions he may have asked. “We’re both busy men, so I’ll cut to the chase. I’m here to pay of Moro Emiko’s debt.”

Hantoro leaned back, surprise crossing his features. He’d probably thought Shikamaru was there to shake him down. If only. “Oh? Well, I’m afraid her contract isn’t for sale.”

Shikamaru pierced him with a stare and Hantoro froze. Yuuto shuffled next to him, probably wondering what he should do if Shikamaru attacked.

“I wasn’t asking, Hantoro-san,” Shikamaru said, keeping his voice low and steady despite how angry he was. “I’m going to pay off her debt, and you and your men,” he sneered at the last word and gave Yuuto a dismissive look, “are going to stay far away from her.”

Hantoro’s brows went up. “Am I, now?”

Shikamaru hummed and looked around the office. “I wonder, if Moro-san was a Nara, would you dare to treat her the way you have been?”

Hantoro looked amused. “I like to think I’m a smart man, Nara-sama. I know how that would end for me.”

Shikamaru smiled, even as disgust rolled through him. He’d make sure Tsunade knew about this portion of the conversation. All citizens of Konoha should expect the same level of protection from scum like this man.

“Well, I think that, from now on, you should just consider Emiko as a member of my clan, under my protection.” He met Hantoro’s surprised gaze. “The Yamanaka and Akimichi clans feel the same way,” he said truthfully.

Ino and Chouji would protect Emiko with all the power at their disposal, now that they knew what she’d done for him.

“That’s...unexpected,” Hantoro said, then to Shikamaru’s surprise, he laughed.

“Something funny?”

“No, no, I’m sorry, I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s just. She is a very compelling woman, isn’t she?”

Shikamaru slowly straightened in his seat and let the tiniest bit of killing intent leak from him. Hantoro’s eyes widened and his hands went up.

“Of course, from here on out we’ll consider Moro Emiko off our radar. I can take a hint. My men and I will leave her be. Yuuto, get the paperwork.”

Shikamaru pulled his chakra back into himself and relaxed back into his chair. He ignored the glare Yuuto sent him when he handed him the paperwork. Shikamaru glanced through it and his jaw tightened at the terms and conditions that Emiko’s father had signed off on. It was nothing short of robbery.

He didn’t say anything, though. Shikamaru knew better than to tip Hantoro off to the fact that Konoha’s forces were after him. Let him think he had nothing to fear once Shikamaru paid off the contract.

He leaned over and unzipped the duffel bag, pulling out the correct amount of money and placing it on the man’s desk.

“I’ll draw up the paperwork,” Hantoro said with a false smile.

“Good,” Shikamaru said. “Oh, and Hantoro?”

The man paused mid-step as he headed for a filing cabinet. “If you or any of your men,” Shikamaru said, giving Yuuto a pointed look, “ever touch, talk to, or look in her direction again, they’ll deeply regret it. That includes harassing her friends and acquaintances, or messing with her business.”

Yuuto looked torn between rage and terror and Hantoro gave Shikamaru a cold smile. “I’m a businessman, Nara-sama. You won’t have to worry about me making any further moves on your woman’s business or person. We, after all, have a deal.”

Shikamaru couldn’t wait until Tsunade’s ANBU moved on the man. It would be fun watching his world burn.

000

Shikamaru rubbed his temples and slouched behind his desk. It had been eight days since he returned from his ‘vacation,’ as Tsunade had started calling it, and he was back to being exhausted and overworked.

It didn’t help that he had been in a horrible mood since his meeting with Hantoro. Most of it, he knew, had to do with the realization that he’d probably never see Emiko again, except for in passing. After she’d asked him to leave the night he’d turned back into a human he wasn’t going to force his presence on her.

No matter how much Ino nagged him to ‘stop moping around’ and go see her. He wasn’t _moping,_ anyway. He was just in a bad mood and missed his dog bed. Which wasn’t weird at all.

“Shikamaru! Are you listening to me?” Tsunade snapped from where she was seated on his couch; paperwork spread out in front of her.

“Yes. The drought has decreased crop yields by fifty percent in the eastern parts of Fire Country. This has led to an increase in bandit activity since people are starving and desperate. The daimyo wants you to fix it yesterday,” he repeated dutifully.

He leaned his head back against his chair as Naruto made noises about saving the population and Tsunade snapped at him about how their mission was the bandits, not the drought. How had the two of them ended up in Shikamaru’s office, anyway? He had planned on getting to a pile of paperwork that was becoming disturbingly tall.

“Send Hinata’s team,” he finally said and they both looked over at him. “She’s good with water jutsu, and with her Byakugan she can look around for underground water sources. Their primary mission will be the bandits, with a secondary of helping the villages there find a new source of water. Once she does, we can contact the daimyo -”

He cut off as he heard a commotion outside the door. His assistant, Haru’s, voice said, “Ma’am, you can’t go in there -”

“I need to speak to Nara Shikamaru right now,” someone said and Shikamaru straightened. He recognized that voice.

“Ma’am, don’t -”

The knob on his door turned and he was already moving to intercept the ANBU that had reacted to a possible threat to their Hokage. The door swung open to reveal Emiko, wearing pastel pink capris with a sapphire blue, frilly sleeveless shirt tucked into it. She had a little pink bandana scarf tied around her neck and he only had a moment to admire how cute she looked before he was stepping in front of her and latching onto the wrist of the ANBU reaching for her.

“Don’t touch her,” he snapped and everybody in the room went still as he and the ANBU had a stare-off.

Finally, Tsunade sighed. “Stand down, Crane. It’s the girl that Shikamaru has been pining over all week. If you kill her, we’ll have to deal with his moping for months.”

Shikamaru sputtered and his cheeks heated as Naruto laughed obnoxiously in the background. The ANBU faded back into the shadows and Shikamaru turned just as Haru started trying to herd Emiko out of the room.

Her eyes were wide, as she had probably realized that she’d almost been attacked by an ANBU. She recovered quickly, though, and turned her gaze back to Shikamaru, shaking Haru’s hand off her shoulder.

Her cheeks were red and her eyes were bright, and he just stared at her, frozen in place. He had not been expecting her to burst into his office, after all.

“Y-you,” she stuttered, then cleared her throat. Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward and poked her finger into his chest.

“I just went to make a payment to Hanto, and you know what he said? That Nara Shikamaru had come in and taken care of ‘his girl’s’ debt. I don’t know who you think you are, but just because you spent a week _peeping_ on me does not make me your girl!”

She punctuated the last two words with particularly hard jabs to his chest. He lifted a hand to the spot and rubbed it, even as he nodded along, too caught up in the fact that she was in front of him to pay much attention to her words. When they finally sank in, however, he flailed.

“What? No! That’s not - I told you, I wasn’t peeping!” he protested and winced as his voice carried out into the hallway.

Emiko crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, so you’re just running around claiming some sort of - of ownership over me? Because no one owns me, Shikamaru, I don’t care how much of my debt you paid off. So if you think you can just -”

Naruto appeared next to him and sent a blinding smile at Emiko, who faltered and then blushed. Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed at his friend. If he made a move on Emiko...

“Emiko-san! I’ve heard so much about you,” Naruto said. “Thanks for taking care of Shikamaru when we couldn’t. You’re a real hero, you know?”

“Um,” she said and blinked rapidly as she tried to catch up with the sudden change in atmosphere.

Tsunade sighed and stood and Emiko glanced over and then jolted. “I - Hokage-sama! I didn’t know you were - I mean - I’m so sorry I interrupted. I just - oh god. I’m going to go.”

She bowed low and started to back out of the room, looking mortified. It was adorable.

“Wait!” Shikamaru said. “Just. Wait. Hokage-sama, can I have a few minutes?”

“You can have five, and when you come back, I want a plan for the situation we were discussing. Also - Moro-san. I’m sorry I haven’t sent someone before, but as I understand it, you spent significant time and resources taking care of one of my shinobi. On your way out, Crane will note down your expenses and the village will pay you back for your time.”

Emiko straightened. “What? Oh, no, Hokage-sama, that’s fine. It was - I didn’t even know -”

“It’s happening, so don’t bother arguing,” Tsunade said dismissively. “Naruto, get over here and decipher your notes for me. I swear if you don’t improve your handwriting -”

Shikamaru motioned for Emiko to step into the hallway and she did so, still looking dazed.

“Come on, there’s an empty conference room we can talk in,” he said after a moment, ignoring Haru’s judging eyes. So he was terrible with women, so what?

She followed him, probably still too shocked over meeting the Hokage and the hero of their village to react. He slipped into the empty room and turned on the lights before closing the door behind them.

The sound of it latching shut seemed to echo through the room and Shikamaru turned and forced himself not to shift uncomfortably. He had caught a faint whiff of her shampoo and the scent of grains and spices and had to resist the urge to breathe deeply to chase the smell. Being caught out sniffing her would not improve her opinion of him.

“I’m sorry,” Shikamaru said. “I did pay off the debt, but I didn’t tell Hantoro that you were...my girl. He’s just an asshole. I don’t expect anything from you.”

Emiko looked at the far wall and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “Oh. Well. That’s good. I’ll pay you back -”

“No,” he said, then winced when she turned a glare on him. He took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to. I don’t mean to sound like a jerk, but it wasn’t much to me. I’d rather you used your money to keep the store running.”

Emiko’s gaze searched his. “Why? Why would you do that? I was just some woman you lived with for a week.”

She sounded so wretched that he took a step towards her, though he stopped when her gaze went wary.

“That’s not.” He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. “That’s not all you were. I got to know you pretty well in that time, I think. I guess I just. Care about you.” Why was he so bad at this? Also, why did she have to be so pretty?

She was silent for long enough that he risked looking over at her. She was chewing on her lower lip and fiddling with a ring on one of her fingers. “If you care about me, why haven’t you come to see me?” she blurted, then looked horrified that she'd said it out loud.

His eyes widened. “I - well. I thought you wouldn’t want to see me. You weren’t happy last time we spoke.”

Emiko shrugged. “Well. I’d just found out my dog wasn’t my dog, or a dog at all, actually, right after I was attacked by a childhood friend. And then - and then you just left,” she said in a small, wobbly voice.

Shikamaru swallowed. “Sorry. I didn’t want to scare you again.”

She glanced up at him. “Oh. That makes sense, I guess.”

An awkward silence fell, and Shikamaru hesitated. “I have to get back -”

“-Oh, right of course. I’ll just -”

“-but maybe I could stop by the shop later, and we could have lunch.”

“-leave...”

They stared at each other and Shikamaru held his breath. He had spent the last eight days thinking there was no chance that Emiko would ever want to see him again. Now, though, it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

“Okay,” she said, and he swallowed at how cute she looked when her cheeks were that red. “I’ll...see you soon, then?”

“Yes, absolutely,” he said, words tripping over themselves in his rush to get them out.

She giggled at his awkwardness and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Okay. Well, then, I’ll let you go?” she said.

“Yes. Right. Work.”

“Work,” she agreed and when she looked up at him she had a familiar expression of humor on her face, though now he could see just how green her eyes were, and the red tint to her lips.

He was so fucked.

000

He stood outside of Moro’s Dry Goods, gripping the flowers he’d bought and wondering if he should toss them. After all, this wasn’t a _date._ This was just...two people having lunch. Sure, one of them was in love with the other after having spent a week being her dog, which wasn’t weird at _all -_

“Reijī, I assume?”

Shikamaru looked over at Lito, who had somehow moved up next to him without him realizing.

“I - what?” he said, then cringed inwardly at his lack of poise.

“Don’t look so scared, dear. Emiko told me all about her little adventure. She was distraught, you know,” she said in a mild tone that somehow managed to be slightly terrifying.

“I wasn’t trying to -”

“Oh, I know. There was no faking the adoration Reijī had for that girl. It doesn’t look like much has changed now that you’re Nara Shikamaru again. But now that you’re a human, you can go about everything the right way. Well, I can see she’ll be busy for a while, so I’ll come back later.”

She patted his hand and turned to walk away before he could gather his thoughts enough to insist she took care of her business first. That had to be the strangest shovel talk he’d ever been given, and he’d dated Gaara’s and Kankuro’s sister. Shikamaru to this day shuddered when he saw a puppet.

Taking a deep breath, he entered the shop. His shoulders relaxed at the familiar ding of the bell.

“Just a moment!” Emiko’s voice called from somewhere in the back and his lips quirked up without his permission as he made his way through the store.

It looked different from this vantage point but was still recognizable. The smells weren’t as intense, of course, but everything was still clean and tidy and neatly labeled. When he emerged from between the aisles, her politely interested smile softened into a real one.

She was in her apron and her hair was being held back by her bandana. As a dog, he’d seen it as a light grey, but it was a happy yellow.

“You like bright colors,” he said stupidly at the same time she spoke.

“You brought me flowers.”

He cleared his throat. “Yes. I - uh.”

He held them out, and her smile turned shy when she took them. “Just a minute. I’ll go put these in water.”

She hurried through the ever mysterious _Employees Only_ door, but he didn’t miss her blush. Shikamaru stuck his hands in his pockets and allowed himself a smug smile. Well, it seemed like he had a small chance, anyway.

When she emerged a few minutes later, her apron was gone and her hair was down. He thought she might have brushed it and added some makeup, as well. She set the flowers, now in a vase, on the counter.

“Okay. Ready?”

Shikamaru couldn’t help the smile he sent her and his heart flipped when she beamed back at him. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

_Three Months Later_

Shikamaru tugged Emiko closer to him, more focused on how well she fit under his arm than the movie they were watching. She wasn’t paying much attention to it, either, if the way she was fidgeting and staring at a spot on the wall as though it held all the truths of the universe was any indication.

“You okay?” he finally asked and she jumped, then turned to look at him, sheepish.

“Yeah,” she said. “I just...”

He frowned when she looked down, then leaned forward and grabbed the remote, muting the sounds of a sword fight that the main characters were engaged in.

“What is it?”

He hoped she wasn’t going to break up with him. They’d barely started dating. Between her schedule as a small business owner and his as Tsunade’s whipping boy, they’d only been on a total of seven dates. He’d kissed her twice and probably would have done more the last time if he hadn’t been called away on a mission.

He’d just gotten back from said mission and had barely taken the time to shower before he’d shown up on her doorstep, holding a movie and a bottle of wine and probably looking just as pathetically hopeful as he felt. He knew that relationships between civilians and shinobi were tricky things. It was difficult for them to come to terms with the fact that they would always have to come second to the needs of the village.

He wondered if Emiko had just realized that she couldn’t take it. The thought made his chest tighten and he had to swallow past the lump in his throat. “Emiko?” he prompted.

She hesitated and then sat up and turned to face him. His side immediately felt cold but he didn’t try to pull her back. Instead, he forced himself to stay relaxed. If she wanted to break up, he’d make it as easy on her as possible.

“I saw you today. When you came back,” she blurted and he frowned. “I was running an errand for Lito-san and it took me close to the administration building. I saw you right after you returned from your mission. You seemed...busy, so I didn’t say anything.”

Shikamaru stiffened. He’d been covered in blood and dirt when he’d returned and in a foul mood thanks to the chunin who had disobeyed orders and almost gotten them all killed.

So far he’d done his best to keep Emiko from seeing him like that. He still remembered the guarded look she’d worn after he had taken out Yuuto in her kitchen.

“Okay,” he said, drawing the word out. “Do you want me to leave?”

Emiko’s brow furrowed and he resisted the urge to smooth the lines with his thumb. God, he was going to miss her.

“No? Why would I - oh,” she said and her eyes widened in realization. He shifted uncomfortably under her shrewd gaze even as relief moved through him at her denial.

“You thought I’d break up with you,” Emiko said. “That’s why you’re always avoiding talking about your job, and why you look like a kicked puppy whenever you have to cancel our dates for work.”

He huffed - she loved slipping dog jokes and puns into their conversations. It would bother him, except for the pleased quirk of her lips whenever she got a reaction from him.

Emiko tilted her head to the side, then leaned forward. He stopped breathing when she pressed her lips against his. Before he could respond, she pulled back.

“I’m not stupid, you know. When I agreed to start going out with you, I already knew what that meant.”

He knew that Emiko was no slouch in the intelligence department. In fact, she’d told him that the reason Hantoro had been so desperate to bring her onto his payroll as a creative accountant was due to an apprenticeship she’d been awarded for what was considered the best accounting firm in Fire Country.

It was highly competitive and she’d lived in the capital for two years while she completed it. She’d returned to Konoha instead of taking the multiple job offers in the capital she’d received to help her father run the store after her mother died. Then, after her father had a heart attack and followed her mother into death a year later, she’d taken over as the sole owner. Shikamaru always felt damn proud of her when he thought about it.

He cleared his throat and forced his gaze from her lips. “Alright. So what’s wrong, then? I wasn’t injured, if that’s what you’re worried about. It, uh, wasn’t my blood.”

To his surprise, her cheeks reddened and her gaze darted to the side. “Well, it’s not a problem really. I just. I was wondering. If you find me attractive.”

He blinked rapidly. “I do,” he said slowly, wary of traps.

“Okay,” she said and he thought she might be talking more to herself than him. Then she squared her shoulders in a way that usually preceded her doing something that would throw him off balance and met his gaze.

“I saw you today, and I liked what I saw.”

He stared at her. “You...did?”

Emiko sighed. “You know, for the smartest guy in the village, you’re kind of dense.”

“What?” he asked stupidly. What were they even talking about - _oh._

It all slotted into place when he suddenly had a lap full of Emiko. He put his hands on her hips as his blood pressure skyrocketed. She leaned down to put her lips next to his ear.

“I mean, I _liked_ seeing you like that,” she whispered. “You’re pretty sexy when you’re covered in blood and scaring off all the other shinobi with just a look.”

Before he could reply she pulled back far enough so that she could press her lips to his again. This time, she opened her mouth and let him lick into it and he decided then and there that if Tsunade decided to interrupt this time, he was defecting.

Afterward, they lay on the couch, gasping for air while he ran a hand up her side, studying the soft skin there with interest. He wondered how soon was too soon for round two. Civilians needed more time to recover, right?

“That,” Emiko said a few minutes later, “was everything my girlfriends said it would be.”

Shikamaru froze in his quest to run his hands across every inch of her flesh he could reach. “That wasn’t your first time,” he said flatly, but there was a hint of a question to it.

She’d seemed much too confident for that if the way she’d directed him to all of her favorite spots to be touched and licked and kissed had been any indication. Or how she’d found all of his favorite spots - some that he hadn’t even realized existed until she showed them to him.

She broke down into giggles and he glared down at where she was nuzzled against his shoulder. “Oh god, your face. I’ve had sex before, Shikamaru. I’m twenty-three! It was my first time with a shinobi, is all.”

She sighed and goosebumps broke out over his skin when she trailed her fingers up his hip. “You were very energetic. And your body is. Well. It’s quite nice.”

He cursed himself when he blushed. “Nothing compared to yours,” he grumbled and was distracted when she bit her lip to hide her pleased smile.

“I’m a little surprised. I kind of thought you might be the lay back and let the other person do all the work kind of guy. I mean, I was almost worried you’d try to take a nap in the middle -”

She cut off with a squeal of laughter when he growled and flipped them over so she was under him, then dug his fingers lightly into her side.

“Woman, I’ll show you energetic,” he said and covered her lips with his own.

Her laughter morphed into low moans when his hand slipped lower and Shikamaru discovered that her recovery time was quite satisfactory, civilian or no, thank you very much.

000

Shikamaru stared down at the squirming pile of fur in his hands. This was stupid. It was a terrible idea. They’d only been dating for six months. She was going to think he was crazy.

“Shikamaru?” He jolted, pulling his gaze from the still-closed door in front of him and spinning on his heel.

Emiko was standing in the hallway of her apartment building, wearing a spring green sundress and holding a shopping bag. The gold drop necklace he’d bought her last month glinted at the hollow of her neck in the low lighting and he took a moment to appreciate how gorgeous she was.

Not that he ever forgot, especially when they were strolling through the neighborhood and he was on the receiving end of a few glares from disappointed would-be suitors. He especially enjoyed the dejected looks the butcher wore when they passed.

“Emiko!” he blurted and the puppy in his hand squirmed and stretched one soft paw out towards her. Shikamaru couldn’t blame the little guy.

“Oh! Oh my god, look how cute!” She dashed forward and shoved her shopping bag into his free hand, then took the fluffy brown dog from him.

“Oh, you’re just precious,” she said, pulling him to her chest and smiling when he immediately started licking her chin.

Shikamaru slumped when he realized he wouldn’t be getting his usual enthusiastic greeting thanks to her distraction. Yes, this had all been a terrible idea.

“Whose is he? Wait, it is an actual dog, right?” She paused and looked down at the puppy suspiciously as Shikamaru unlocked her apartment with the key she’d given him a few months ago.

“Yes, he’s an actual dog,” Shikamaru said with a sigh.

“Oh good. You’re a cute little thing, yes you are.”

Shikamaru sulked into the kitchen and put the groceries on the counter. He couldn’t help but smile, though, when he turned around and saw that Emiko was sitting on the couch, entranced, letting the puppy gnaw on her fingers.

“So, you never answered my question. Whose dog is he?”

“Ours,” he said with far more calm than he felt.

Emiko paused, then looked over at him. “Seriously? You got us a puppy?”

He cleared his throat. “Well, yours, really. But. I thought since I have a yard...”

Emiko frowned. “So it’s mine, but you want it to live at your place?”

“Ah. No. Well, yes. What I mean is. I thought all of us could live there. Together.”

Emiko stared at him and he shifted uncomfortably. The dog let out a little bark and wiggled and she set it down on the floor. He leaned back against the counter as she stood, careful not to step on the ball of fur that was now bouncing around her feet while she made her way over to him.

He swallowed when she came to stand between his legs. “Are you saying,” she said, grabbing onto his belt loops and leaning against him, “that you got me a puppy as a way to convince me to move in with you?”

He relaxed when he saw she was fighting a smile and reached up to push her hair behind her ear. “What if I did?” he asked and hummed when she leaned forward to kiss him.

They both ignored the barking puppy at their feet. “I’d have to say, that you’re a very sweet boyfriend. I can’t wait to tell your mother about it,” she teased.

He sighed. Emiko and Yoshino got along entirely too well for his peace of mind. “Is that a yes?”

“It is,” she said and he wrapped an arm around her waist as relief moved through him. “For future reference, I would have said yes _without_ the added incentive of a yard for my new puppy.”

“So you don’t want him?” he drawled and she smacked his chest lightly.

“Of course I do. Hmm. I’ll have to pick out a name for him,” she said then knelt down and scratched behind his ears.

“I don’t know if we should give you that responsibility. You might give him a complex.”

“I will not!” He yelped when she pinched his calf, causing the puppy to spin around in circles and bark louder.

“You named me _lazy_ when I was your dog.”

“Well, it’s not my fault that all you ever did was nap.”

He sighed. “I was tired,” he grumbled, but it sounded half-hearted even to him.

“What kind of dog is he, anyway? He’s already kind of big.”

“Not sure,” he said blandly. “Kiba said one of their non-ninken dogs got out while she was in heat. He said he’d help me train him, though, so we don’t need to worry about being able to control him when he gets bigger.”

It wasn’t entirely accurate that he didn’t know the breed. They just didn’t know what the father was, since the mother had gotten loose one day in the kennels and come back impregnated.

The mother, however, was a breed that was specifically trained for guarding people or objects. Emiko didn’t need to know he’d gotten her a canine bodyguard. The time she’d caught one of his clan members following her around right after Hantoro had been arrested (just in case there was some form of retaliation), she hadn’t talked to him for four days.

It had been the worst four days, ever.

Emiko gave him a suspicious look but was quickly distracted by the puppy when it darted over to the corner and proceeded to pee on the linoleum.

“Oh no! You poor thing, did dad not take you to go potty before coming inside?” she cooed, moving to get a paper towel.

Shikamaru pointedly did not react to her casual acceptance that they were joint dog parents now. Or that he was being blamed for the puppy’s mistakes. He glared at the puppy and it yapped happily at him. He was a deadly, apathetic shinobi of Konohagakure. His heart did not melt...much. Dammit.

He listened to Emiko as she started listing off all the errands they’d need to run to prepare for puppy parenthood. He should be annoyed by the thought of one of their rare nights off together being taken up by shopping. Instead, something warm and content unfurled in him and he just nodded along with her rambling.

Given a choice between following her around while she ran errands and anything else in the world - including naps - he’d choose her every time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, that wasn't a sappy ending. You're a sappy ending!


End file.
